Runaways
by Claire Blanc
Summary: After Dinah Lance agrees to help hide eighteen year old Sarah Lawson from an unknown group of people, Sarah agrees to help Dinah with training a group of teens who help the Justice League. But when Sarah's past is revealed to not only the Team, but also the Justice League, she might not be able save herself from the unfortunate ending she had been hiding from.
1. Identities

**Chapter 1: Identities **

I sat down on the uncomfortable metal bench and sighed, looking around the busy mall. Why had I even agreed to meeting him there? Seriously, why the hell did he want to meet at the mall? It was probably for the sake of not being recognized since he had become more popular throughout the last month when he started hanging around Oliver Queen. I was guessing anyway.

Not only did I have no clue where he was, but I had no clue what he looked like or even why I was supposed to meet him that day. I was going to see him later that night but Dinah, being my new trainer, wasn't going to let me anywhere until I met her soon-to-be son-in-law. I didn't understand how that worked out in the end, seeing that he wasn't even Oliver's son, but I wasn't going to say anything in fear that Dinah might've had a really bad side, and I mean bad.

I shook my head and crossed my arms, giving up my impossible search for the red headed freak I was supposed to meet. Honestly, I wasn't excited at all to meet him. I barely knew anything about him except for that he was close to Oliver and Dinah in both lives, public and secret. One thing that I kept telling myself though was that whatever I said or did to him affected not only the relationship between Dinah and I, but also affected my life, in this case whether or not I was going to die sooner or later.

"Well, what do we have here?" A low voice said behind me. I turned around quickly to be met with a familiar pair of brown eyes. I glared at them.

"What do you want, Benjamin?" I asked, knowing exactly what he wanted from me.

"Babe," He said as I stood up. His smile sickened me and I desperately wanted to punch him in the face, but being in a crowded mall in front of hundreds of people wasn't the best place to beat someone up. "You know what I want." He sat down, laying his arm out on the back of the bench. I frowned.

"And you know my answer." I said, still glaring at him. He looked up and flashed me a smile, a bright smile, the one that I had gotten from him thousands of times while we had been dating.

"Any way I could change your mind?" He asked, his eyes filled with a suspicious emotion which I couldn't quite understand. I could see lust and desire, but more anger and hatred. It was confusing, even for me since I was a goddess when it came to reading minds and emotions, without powers of course.

"The only way you could ever change my mind is-" I stopped myself. Why was I telling him of all people my weaknessess? He was an enemi for God's sake! "Why do I even bother with you?" I said laughing at myself. I couldn't believe I had almost let one of the cats out of the bag. The one of many cats that were trapped inside of me.

"Because I'm hot." He said. I rolled my eyes. Even though Benjamin and I were basically complete strangers to how we felt on the inside, we both knew many of each other's weaknessess and strenghts, but mostly weaknessess, which were not good in my case.

"If you were hot, I would've never cheated on you, or left you, or-"

"I get it." Benjamin said, not wanting me to go on. He knew I had a long list of why I didn't like him and why we broke up, but for some odd reason he kept on pushing for another chance, which for him was like a flying pig, if that makes any sense. "You just don't want to admit it."

"Admit what? Seriously, Benjamin, get over it. We've been done for four fucking years, why don't you go try your luck at seducing another bitch, will ya?" Surprisingly Benjamin was the only man that didn't find it crazy that I called myself a bitch. Honestly, I knew I was a bitch almost ninty-nine percent of the time. It was natural for me to be that way, which wasn't that great when it came to having to act like an angel in front of people I had to impress.

"Wow, pissed off much?"

"Obviously not enough if you want a fist in your face, or maybe in the next five minutes it'll be a mallot." I smiled and Benjamin laughed.

"This is why I fell in love with you in the first place." I laughed.

"You never fell in love with me Benjamin, we were set up, remember? God, you're such a dick head." I said. Benjamin smiled at my words. I hated that whenever I talked either dirty or not appropriate Benjamin came to love me a little more. I shook my head. "You need to go, now."

"Why, we've just gotten started.." I glared at Benjamin.

"Well, maybe you could restart over there with that young brunette. I know she's got lacy lingerie.."

"And how do you know that?" Benjamin asked suspiciously. His smile creeped me out a little, which it wasn't easy for things to creep me out, but Benjamin was just damn creepy.

"I know that because she went into Victoria's Secrets and they're having a sale on lace."

"Oh, well maybe I could get something for you.."

"Yeah, and instead of me being wrestled into it, you'll be putting it on for me." I smiled as Benjamin glared at me. I laughed.

"I have to go.." Benjamin said looking at his watch and standing up. "Next time you won't be as lucky.." He walked away. Usually I'd make a come back to his idiotic antics, but at that moment I was sick of talking to him. I was sick of hearing his voice. God, I was even sick of looking at him. I sighed and sat back down.

"That bastards going down..." I said in a low voice as I closed my eyes for a second.

"Who's going down?" Someone asked. I opened my eyes to see a red head in front of me.

"No one important." I said, standing up. The man in front of me put out his hand and I took it, shaking his hand lightly. We may have been the same exact age, which if you have to know was eighteen, but with our jobs it was polite to act older than you actually were.

"I'm Roy Harper, and you are..?"

"Sarah Lawson. Nice to meet you."

"You too."

"Okay, not to hurt anyone's feelings, but...we've now met, is there anything else we're supposed to do?"

"I don't think so, so in that case..."

"I'm going to go."

"Me too."

"Well, anyway, it was nice to meet you and I'll see you...later today?"

"Um, yeah. Okay, well bye, I guess."

"Bye." I walked away, knowing that the conversation with Roy was much more awkward that I had intended, but I had learned one thing about him. He definitely was cautious when it came to his identity.


	2. Zeta Tubes

**Chapter 2: Zeta Tubes**

I slid on the familiar bodysuit and zipped it up, looking at myself in the full length mirror. I sighed. It wasn't that I didn't like the suit because honestly I loved it, but it was more of the similarities of the suit verses my old one that I didn't like at all.

The suit was a shiny black, not leather, but a soft material that looked exactly like it. The sleeves were long and connected to a pair of matching, fingerless gloves Dinah had bought me when she saw my old ones. The rest was all connected together from the zipper on the front to the pants that meshed into my three-inch stiletto-type heels. I pulled my uneven medium length blonde hair into a pony tail, pieces on each side of my face falling out as if on que.

I slipped on my mask, making sure that each side was even and that my eyes were still surrounded in the thick black eyeliner and dark eye shadow.

"Sarah, you ready yet?" Dinah yelled from the apartment kitchen. I sighed.

"Yeah, give me two minutes!" I yelled back.

"Two minutes! No more!"

"Okay!" Not only did I have to repack everything after training, but then I had to move in with none other than Oliver Queen. I mean, Oliver wasn't bad or anything, he was actually quite nice, especially to Dinah, but the fact that I was moving in with Roy Harper wasn't the greatest idea. It wasn't that I couldn't handle myself around him, because believe me, if handling meant what I thought it did then I'd have no problem, but it was more Roy than it was me. I mean I had heard of play boys and everything, which in my life I had seen and been through a lot with them, but Roy wasn't just a play boy, he was a city play boy, and I had yet to learn the rules.

I didn't worry much though about him, even if he was from the city. By the looks of it, Roy and I weren't going to hit it off so well, well at least when we saw each other again.

I grabbed my duffel bag and walked into the kitchen where Dinah stood in her black pencil skirt and button-up blouse. She turned around, blonde hair in a tight bun and light makeup.

"Okay, have everything?" She asked. I nodded. "That's good because I don't have much time before the meeting...Anyway, I'll just quickly enter you into the database and you'll be good to go. Okay?"

"Sure, as long as I don't catch on fire during the process." Dinah laughed.

"I've been going through those zeta tubes for years now, and I think I turned out all right."

"I can't say the same for Oliver..." Dinah looked at me with a semi-glare. "I know, I know...Don't say those things out loud."

"That-a-girl!" I rolled my eyes as I quickly jumped out the window into the alley. I waited for Dinah to quickly come out from the front of the building. "Okay..." She said, typing a few numbers and letters into the blue pop up screen. "You're good to go. Have fun!" Dinah waved goodbye and disappeared down the street. I sighed.

"Some things I'll never get used to..."


	3. Meeting

**Chapter 3: Meeting**

I stared at the empty cave, inspecting each groove in the walls like I used to do with my surroundings. For the first time ever, I felt out of place, like I didn't belong. And that was because I didn't.

I heard random shouts and spun around and around trying to figure out where it came from. I was usually good at locating sounds, but at that moment I was more nervous and scared than I was cautious.

"Come on! She's probably in here!" I heard from a young girl's voice. My heart pounded and I put on my poker face. I gulped, mentally preparing myself for all the time I was supposed to spend with the teens.

A young girl, about age fourteen, ran in. She wore a magician outfit, one that I had to admit was pretty cute, and her dark black hair fell a little past her shoulders. She stopped a few feet in front of me and extended her arm.

"I'm Zatanna." She said in a sweet, innocent voice I somehow wished I could have. I couldn't smile. It wasn't my job. I frowned, semi-glaring at the beautiful young girl. I wasn't jealous of her beauty, not like most women my age would've, but I was jealous of her innocence. The one she was holding. I desperately wished for her to keep it.

"Dark Knight." I said, lowering my usual high-pitched voice to make it seem more professional. I shook her hand slightly and pulled back, not wanting her to feel my pulse or read my mind or whatever she could do.

I knew she was a magician, Zatara's daughter to be exact, but I wasn't too sure of all her capabilities. From her unusual backwards spells to her sneaky sixth sense was all I knew, or what Dinah only knew.

I heard fast footsteps in slow motion, something I had learned in training when I was nearly six, and felt a wind past by my right side. Of course, I held myself, making sure I didn't attack him suddenly and ruin my whole chance of surviving. I suddenly felt a very light weight on my shoulder and looked down.

"I'm Kid Flash." He said, looking up. I wasn't that tall, barely a stature of five-feet-seven, and even with my three-inch heels I was barely as tall as a supermodel. Surprisingly, I found the sixteen-year-old (Dinah told me his age) to be a shorter five-foot-five even though he looked much taller on camera.

"Good." I said, "Then why don't you go and flash something else, huh?" I said, making sure I sounded a little more bitchy that I felt at that moment. It wasn't that I was a complete angel, because believe me if I were going to be compared to an angel I'd be a complete devil, but it was more like I wanted to be seen as an angel on the outside sometimes. It was a trick I had learned while going to school, mostly to get out of class early so I wouldn't get bullied as much, but it worked and I kept the idea.

Kid Flash put his arms up in surrender and I noticed I had been glaring at him hard. I softened my eyes, not too much, but enough to make me seem not as evil as I looked.

"A little bitchy, huh?" A deep voice said. I recognized it barely, seeing that the last time I heard the voice I was surrounded by at least two hundred people. I turned around and stared at the red head that stood at least six feet away from me.

"A little sneaky, huh?" I answered, using the same annoying voice as he had used. He laughed suddenly, walking over by the rest of the teens that had recently came in.

"How about we introduce ourselves?" Kid Flash said, winking an eye at me. I rolled my eyes noticeably.

"How about you stop pissing her off?" The blonde girl wearing green said. "I'm Artemis by the way." She said. I nodded.

"I'm so not pissing her off." Kid Flash said.

"Well, it looks to me like she doesn't like you." Artemis said. Kid Flash glared at the blonde and stood next to her, and the two began to exchange glares. Artemis looked at me. "Sorry about that." She said, glaring at Kid Flash once more. I laughed and everyone looked at me. I gave a suspicious smile.

"Don't worry about it. If he wants to feel my wrath, then let it be. He'll learn sooner or later to not bother a woman in black. Or technically, this woman." I said. Red Arrow laughed.

"Can you even call yourself a woman?" He asked. I glared at him.

"If I can't call myself a woman then there is no room for you to call yourself a man."

"And why would that be?"

"Because from the look of it, you're not mature enough to handle most situations nor are you capable to handle working along side someone as old as you or younger, let alone the opposite sex." I smiled and Red Arrow frowned.

"Not true." He said, protecting himself like most men did. I was used to embarrassing men I knew or even didn't so I didn't feel anything for him, but I let it go, for that moment anyway.

"Whatever you say.." I said, slightly bowing as if mocking him. I doubted that many of the teens would understand what I was meaning, but they were smart so I didn't want to underestimate them.

"While we are at it, I would just like to introduce myself." The boy with the webbed hands spoke. "I am Aqualad."

"I'm Rocket." A dark young woman spoke.

"Superboy." The muscular sixteen-year-old said. At least he looked sixteen.

"Robin, but you already knew that." I smiled.

"You're smart for such a... spoiled chid." I whispered the last part, leaving everyone else but Robin and I knowing what I was talking about. I may have been basically on the other side of the line, but it didn't mean that I had to hide what I already knew, especially if I was going to be teaching the teens.

Robin glared at me and I smiled. I looked back up at the group and waited for the next person to introduce themselves.

"I'm Miss Martian, but you can call me M'gann or Megan or whatever you want to call me." The green martian said happily. I smiled on the inside, knowing that even though she had put herself in that line of business she was still happy and pretty much as innocent as Zatanna and the rest of the teens.

"Nice to meet you all." I said.

"I'm Red Arrow, by the way. If you missed that." I looked over to the red head. It wasn't that he didn't know that I knew his name, but it was more like the agreement we had with Dinah and Oliver, to pretend to not have met. It was quite easy after that though, after we 'learned' each other's names and everything.

"Maybe I did." I looked back to the group and sighed. "My turn I suspect."

"No shit." Red said. I glared at him.

"Why don't we just start off with the basics, shall we?" I said. I didn't wait for a response. "This is all you need to know about me. My name is Dark Knight, I am your physical trainer while Black Canary sorts...things out, and I am not your babysitter. Some people seem to think that already." I looked at Red Arrow, even though he didn't treat me like a babysitter, It was just natural. "Everybody got that?" I asked, not waiting for a reply. "Good, training starts tomorrow, five-thirty sharp." I said. Picking up my bags and heading for the hall that led to the bedrooms.

"But tomorrow's Saturday." Kid Flash said, practically whining. I stopped at the beginning of the hall and turned around slightly.

"Exactly."


	4. Five AM

**Chapter 4: Five A.M.**

I got up, slightly ignoring the sound of my distressed alarm and blinked, letting my vision clear as I put on my rectangular glasses. I sighed, turning off the alarm and sliding out of bed tiredly. I was used to not getting enough sleep, usually I'd get close to five hours of sleep on the weekends and about three on weekdays. I knew it wasn't enough for my teenage body, but I ignored that fact and went on with life.

I walked to the bathroom, noticing the faint outlines of objects from the moonlight as I walked down the hall. I quickly brushed my teeth and put in my contacts and went back to my room, slightly refreshed. The next things I did were sort of a blur, seeing that I still wasn't fully awake and I just felt my legs and arms moving as I got dressed. I did my hair and makeup quickly and headed downstairs to grab my kind of breakfast.

I didn't like to eat in front of people. It wasn't how I ate, it was what and how much I ate. Dinah always told me to eat a little more or have a cookie once in a while, but I usually refused. I wasn't that kind of girl who refused sweets to impress someone or feel better about themselves, I just liked to eat right, partially for the sake of my job and partially for health. It was a win-win for me.

I grabbed a few carrots and an apple out of the fridge and ate as I walked around, picking up and packing the things that I had left on the floor the day before. I threw in my change of clothes and my few weapons (which Dinah called a few hundred) and zipped up the black duffel bag.

I walked back in the kitchen and looked at the time, seeing that it was barely five in the morning. I had thirty minutes till training began. I sighed. I wasn't prepared to deal with the teenagers, especially Red, but whatever drove me to have training at five-thirty in the morning on a Saturday made me feel completely insane.

I wasn't sure if it was my natural instinct, seeing that when I was in training I almost practiced twenty-four-seven, or if it was just my sudden hatred that drove me mad. Then again, It might've been my need to get used to working with them, and maybe seeing how good they were at obeying and listening.

I sat down at the table, taking a breath to calm myself down. I couldn't believe how nervous I was getting, I wasn't even there yet. I shook my head, mentally kicking myself and closed my eyes, thinking of what everyone's reactions were the day before.

I stood up, picking up my bag and walked out the door, locking it behind me with the pair of keys Dinah had given me. I didn't want to train the teenagers, I knew that for a fact. But after that deal I made with Dinah and the happy look on her face, I felt bad if I let her down, which was something I never thought would happen.

Although I was pretty much being pressured to train the teens, I couldn't help but think that I'd probably make one hell of trainer. I sighed. Honestly, I knew that they were all going to hate me, at least Red would the whole time, but I really didn't care. One thing I knew was that I wasn't going to let Dinah down, mostly since she was basically holding my whole fate in her hands, even if I had to make the teens work their asses off.


	5. Faulty Wiring

**Chapter 5: Faulty Wiring **

I put my bag down and looked around at the cave. I had been there nearly ten hours ago and still felt like I had never seen it before, then again I was that way with my parents house.

"So you come early too, huh?" A deep voice asked. I smiled and turned around.

"Not usually. I like to be in...alternative places the least amount of time possible. If not then I either go partially crazy or.."

"Or what?"

"Or something else will happen."

"Like what?" I glared at Red Arrow.

"I'll leave that up to your imagination. You clearly have one since your an eighteen year old male."

"Being sexist, are you?" I laughed.

"I've always been a little...sexist to both genders, or at least that's what my last boyfriend said when I called out his faults and punched him in the nose."

"Ow, what a relationship."

"That's the least of my problems."

"Then what is?"

"You're very curious aren't you?" It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

"Curiosity is good...isn't it?" He smiled, not the good kind of smile. I frowned.

"Too much curiosity can lead to getting your ass kicked, which in your case isn't so good seeing that you'd get beaten up by a woman."

"Usually I'd tell you to call yourself a girl, but I like woman better."

"So do I." I picked up my duffel bag and set it against the wall of the gym. I slipped off my gloves and wrapped my palms up before putting them back on.

"So, what brings you here so early?" Red asked me. I looked at the punching bag in front of me and smiled as I positioned myself.

"Sleeping problems." I said honestly. It wasn't just my alarm that had woken me up this morning, it was partially the nightmares I had about...personal things.

"What kind? Nightmares?" I glanced to my right, watching as Red set up his own punching bag.

"Why do you want to know?" I asked. Red smiled.

"Curiosity." He said simply. I laughed. "What now?"

"Curiosity isn't a good thing, or at least it wasn't when I was a kid."

"Why, where your parents very protective or something?"

"You could say that." That wasn't the case at all though, but he didn't need to know anyway.

"Hm, you gonna punch that bag or what?" He said. I looked at the punching bag and realized I had been in a fighting stance the whole time. I rolled my eyes.

"No, you're going first." Red laughed as I stood up straight.

"What the hell, might as well show you how a man does it." He said as he punched the bag. It swung about a foot from its starting point and came back.

"I'm impressed. The man's got some muscles, but let me show you how a hard-working woman does it."

"It's so sad that you have to add 'hard-working' to the front of your label." I smiled.

"It's so sad that you actually label yourself as a man."

"I've got the muscles for it, as you said." I smiled.

"Muscles aren't what makes a man a man, if anyone should know that it should be you." I said simply. I smiled and got into my position, pulling back my arm and leaning back, giving my swing everything I got. My fist dug into the bag and it fell to the ground. I looked at Red who's eyes were wide.

"Holy shit!" He said, awestruck. "How the hell did your slim arms do that?" I laughed.

"I guess you've never heard of 'faulty wiring'." Red glared at me.

"So you cheated."

"Not exactly." I said.

"What do mean by that?" Red asked me suspiciously. I smiled.

"I might've snuck in a little anger management class with the bag between a few interesting events yesterday."

"You sneaky little-"

"We're here!" Kid Flash rushed into the room, cutting Red off and falling on one of the mats accidentally. "I meant to do that!" I left his lie alone, seeing that embarrassing him wasn't the best place to go at that moment seeing that I really didn't want show everyone my abilities just yet, even if they were just practically karate moves and street tricks I had learned over the years.

"You were saying." I said to Red, smiling slightly, knowing exactly what he was going to call me.

"Never mind." He said.

"That's what I thought." I smiled and looked back to the eight people who had just walked into the room. Most of them looked tired, with the exception of hyper Kid Flash and a fully awake Miss Martian. "Wow, if I would've know you'd all be so brain dead, I would've gotten up even earlier to get you all some highly caffeinated coffee."

"Ooh! That sounds good!" Miss Martian said.

"Except for you and Kid Flash. If I gave you anything like that I swear I'd never _not _see you bouncing off the walls." Miss Martian giggled even though I practically insulted her and Kid Flash seemed clueless. I rolled my eyes, seeing that even though the two were energetic, they were still brain dead. "Oh my God.."

"Good luck with that." Red said walking away.

"Don't you dare walk out of those doors, Red." I said in a threatening tone. That seemed to get everyone's attention, even Red's.

"Did you just threaten me?" He said smiling.

"I don't know, you tell me. You seem to know more about everything since you are the dominate sex."

"What does that mean?" Superboy asked. I rolled my eyes.

"Nothing that you need to know about." I said.

"I see your still being sexist."

"I have the right to be looking around this room. Mainly at you though." I said.

"Wow, your on a roll today aren't you?"

"You bet your ass I am."

"How much coffee have you exactly had this morning?" Red asked suspiciously. I smiled.

"None."

"What did you eat this morning?"

"The usual for me; Two carrots and an apple, which I don't think makes you exactly hyper."

"Is that seriously all you eat?" I frowned and glared at Red.

"Yep, and don't judge a book by it's cover."

"I wasn't." He said. I smiled.

"No, you were judging me in a different way."

"Okay, you two! Stop flirting!" Artemis said. Red and I stared at Artemis.

"We're not flirting!" We said in sync. I looked at Red and glared at him as he did the same to me.

"You two are already talking the same language!" Miss Martian squealed with joy and I sighed.

"Get a room!" I snapped my head at Superboy as everyone looked at him wide-eyed. "What?" He said. "I heard it on a movie." He folded his arms and put his attention back on me. I sighed.

"This is going to be one hell of a month."


	6. Easier Than Easy

**Chapter 6: Easier Than Easy**

"Good, now this time try not to stand as still as a tree." I said to Kid Flash as he stared at the lightest sand-packed punching bag I could find. I rolled my eyes. I heard a grunt and looked over at Artemis and Rocket who were fighting combat, and I wasn't surprised to see Rocket on the floor and Artemis standing victoriously.

"Can I tell you one problem, you two?" Rocket and Artemis looked at me.

"Yeah..." Rocket said softly, standing up carefully as she stretched.

"First of all, never use all your strength on one oponent. Not only does it cause you to be more tired, but it doesn't give you enough energy for the other people or getting home in time. Second, I would recommend rolling away, Rocket, not only for your safety, but for your pride too, and Artemis, I'd recommend not standing so tall and indestructable since even if you win, you're going to loose some point in time." The two girls looked at me strangly.

"Bringing down our hopes, huh?" Red said behind me. I turned around and smiled.

"It comes with the entire package, luckily for you, I've wrapped a few things up before coming here." I said. Red laughed.

"I don't know if I like the entire package anymore."

"You never liked the package, and if I were you, I wouldn't either." I said.

"A little harsh on yourself, aren't you?"

"That's one way to say it."

"Then what's the other."

"Protecting myself." I said. Red gave me a suspicious look that I decided to ignore. "Okay, who's next?" I asked.

"Ooh! Ooh!" I rolled my eyes.

"What now Kid Flash?" I said.

"I vote you a Red Arrow fight next!"

"Oh, God.." I said.

"Yeah!" Miss Martian said.

"Fine." Red said.

"I'm not going to get a say in this, am I?" I said.

"Nope." I rolled my eyes and walked to the mats, getting into fighting position.

"I'll take it easy on you." I said.

"I think I should be the one taking it easy on you."

"Think all you want." I said as I kicked my leg up quickly. Red ducked and swung a punch near my torso and I quickly moved to the side and grabbed his arm, flipping him over on his back.

"You're good." He said getting up. I laughed.

"I told you I was going to take it easy on you." I smiled as Red tried to trip me and I jumped, landing feet away from him as I swung my foot and kicked him in the stomach. He fell back and I heard a sudden laugh. The two of us looked at the door to see a laughing Green Arrow and a giggling Black Canary.

"She kicked your butt!" Green Arrow said.

"I've never seen you like that before, Red Arrow." Black Canary said. Red Arrow growled as he stood up and I put a hand on his shoulder and smiled.

"Don't worry." I said. "I'll take it easier than easy on you next time."


	7. Moving

**Chapter 7: Moving**

I quickly finished packing the last of my stuff, putting the final few blankets Dinah had lent me away into a cardboard box and sealing it with packing tape. I sighed as I wrote 'blankets' neatly on the top. I looked around the empty room, thinking of all my time I had spent in the room, which was barely a week so far.

It had been days since I last saw the teens, between finding a job, changing my name, and getting a new drivers license, I was busier than Hell. I had told Dinah that I was meeting a few people I knew who lived here, which was a pretty big lie since I had never been there before, but luckily she had no mind-reading powers so I was off the hook for the moment.

I picked up the last box and walked into the living room, setting it down next to my duffel bag. I swung the bag on my shoulder and smiled as Dinah walked back into the apartment to get the last of her boxes. I walked carefully down the stairs, making sure I didn't fall since I was carrying at least twenty-five pounds in my duffel bag alone.

I got to the bottom and walked to the street setting my box on the right side of the moving truck and setting my duffel bag in the trunk of Dinah's car.

"We all set?" Dinah asked me. I shut the trunk and smiled.

"Yep, nothing left in the apartment." I looked at the building, not wanting to leave and end up living with Roy.

"Hey, don't be mad. You'll make a great sister to Roy."

"Oh, God, are we really going to have to be siblings?"

"No, well not legally anyway, but you guys can choose what your relationship is."

"That just makes it sound worse." I said, honestly. Dinah laughed.

"Well, we should be going. Nick's driving the moving truck so we're all set." Dinah said as she helped her cousin, Nick, close the back of the truck. I slide into the passenger seat and waited for Dinah to get in.

"Okay," She said turning on the car. "Ready for the mansion?" I laughed.

"If ready means 'hell no' then yeah, I am." Dinah shook her head and smiled.

"You're not going to cooperate are you?"

"Wow, you're good." I said as Dinah began following the truck.

"Sarah, come on, I'm begging you, just give us a chance."

"It depends on who 'us' is."

"Oliver and I?" I laughed.

"Oh my God, Dinah, you know my answer for that one. You two are like two peas in a pod, you were made for each other, and if I get in the way of that I'm totally moving out." I knew I was going to move out soon, but Dinah didn't need to know that just quite yet.

"You're not going to get in the way, plus if you moved out I'd find you and kidnap you."

"You wouldn't dare."

"You don't want to try me." I laughed and we suddenly fell silent. I looked out the window and watched the houses go by. "What about Roy?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you going to give Roy a chance?" I was silent. "Come on, he's going to be a part of your life now, you have to accept that."

"Listen, Dinah, I know that you want Roy and I to become like best friends forever, but that's not going to happen. You have to realize that we're exactly the same age, we're not related, and we don't even want to be around each other. I know it doesn't seem that way when we're training or talking, but we just don't connect."

"You have to give him a chance.."

"Dinah." I said softly. "I know that you've found the love of your life and that you now want everyone to feel the way that you do, but _you _have to accept that Roy and I have nothing in common. You can be the match maker of so many other people, but you have to realize that you barely even know me. You're getting to know me right now. But one thing you should know about me is that I take things like this slow, and so should you."

We were quiet as Dinah drove up to the mansion. I got out as soon as Dinah parked the car and smelled the semi-fresh air. Not only was I going to have to deal with living with Roy, but now I was going to have to deal with Dinah too.


	8. Suspecting vs Catching

**Chapter 8: Suspecting vs. Catching**

I sat down at the edge of the bed and sighed, lying back and staring at the dull ceiling. I hadn't expected that Roy would welcome me as warmly as he did, but then again we were pretty similar in personality. Soft to the touch, but hard to the core. Unfortunately Dinah didn't believe me when I told her that soft-hard thing, but she'd find out soon enough, or at least Roy and I hoped.

"You'll get use to the luxury of living in a home like this." I heard. I sat up and glared at the door, seeing Roy in his signature red fleece pajama pants and a white undershirt.

"Are you implying something, _Red_?" I smiled, thinking that his nickname matched him word for word. Roy glared at me and stepped into the room.

"You tell me." He said. I laughed.

"I'll tell you what, leave me alone and I'll take it easier on you in the ring." I said, not wanting any company. It wasn't that I was sick of seeing Roy, although it was coming towards that point even though I had barely seen him less than five times, but more of my gut feeling that I really needed the security at that moment.

"And if I don't?" Roy said, raising a brow. I smiled.

"Then you're life will turn into a living hell, in the ring...and at home."

"Wow, threatening me already? You must be desperate to keep yourself off of me."

"You think to highly of yourself, and if that was the case, there would be no desperation."

"Really? So you find me attractive?" Roy raised a brow, smiling and me. I laughed.

"In your dreams, Red, in your dreams."

"In _my _dreams? I think it would be _your _dreams that think of this body."

"Or maybe it's yours that thinks about all the things it could do to itself." I said, smiling and Roy's shocked face. If he wanted to argue, I'd argue, but if he wanted to start a stupid conversation like he was doing at that moment, what better way to end it than give him the unexpected? Not sex, though, definately not sex. That would be the last thing I'd think about.

"You really are hard to the core, aren't you?" Roy said, his face confusing me.

"Well, you took a long time to figure that out, didn't you?" I said. Roy frowned.

"It's not everyday that I end up getting guests that are going to stay for the rest of their lives." He said. I glared at him.

"Who says that I'm going to stay here my whole life?" I said. Roy laughed.

"Well, you obviously have no money by the look of your belongings, you suddenly appear out of no where with Dinah, and your suspiciously good at combat. I'd say that you have no where to go and one thing set on you mind."

"And what would that be?" Roy walked up close to me and I felt his breath on my face. I looked into his eyes and glared as he gave me a pissed off look.

"Whatever you're planning to do, it's not going to work. So I suggest that you leave town before I hurt you. You're not getting anything, not any object, not any person, nothing. So be aware that whatever you're trying to get at, I'm going to be there every step of the way, and I'm not helping you. I'm catching you." Roy walked out of my room and I smiled once he was out of view. I laughed.

"Supspecting me is one thing, catching me is another."


	9. Chess

**Chapter 9: Chess**

"Oh my God, do they do this every Sunday?" I asked, frowning as I moved my piece to the other side of the board. Roy laughed.

"Yes. If you don't like it, why don't you just leave?" It was more a statement than a question, which made me laugh.

"You'd really like that, wouldn't you?" I said, not technically asking him. He smiled. "News flash, I'm not going anywhere."

"What are you trying to do, exactly?" Roy asked suspiciously. I moved my piece again.

"At the moment," I said, "Trying to piss you off." Roy laughed.

"Well, you're doing one hell of a job at that." I smiled.

"It's my specialty."

"In that case, do you have any other specialties?" I smiled.

"Not any that you'd be interested in." Roy raised his brow as I moved my piece again. "Checkmate." I said. Roy's eyes went wide.

"You cheated!" I laughed.

"Actually, I didn't. It's called strategy and you had your turns." Roy glared at me.

"Bingo!" I heard faintly from downstairs. I rolled my eyes.

"I take it your not into bingo." Roy said, slightly smiling at my annoyed face. I glared at him as he laughed.

"I take it that you love to be punched in the face by women." I said. Roy frowned.

"If I did I wouldn't be sitting in here." He said. I laughed.

"No, you'd be sitting in the middle of a strip club, surrounded by angry strippers." I said. Roy raised his brow.

"And what would you know about angry strippers?" Roy asked me suspiciously.

"Unfortunately, more than you." I looked down at the board and made another move, capturing Roy's king piece. "Oh, and your out of pieces." Roy looked down to see all black players. I smiled. "Maybe you should pay more attention to what your doing for once in your life."

"You've only known me for barely a week." Roy said. I laughed.

"I have my people, or had them." I said. Roy raised his brow again.

"I'm not going to ask this time. So be glad I'm letting you off the hook for once." I laughed.

"Was it the smile or cleavage?" I asked. Roy glared.

"Neither." I smiled.

"Hm...interesting..." I said. Roy put away the pieces and I drank the rest of my soda. "But not very convincing." Roy looked up and glared at me for the hundredth time and I laughed.

"I never lie." He said. I laughed again.

"Even that was a lie!" I said, laughing. Roy rolled his eyes and I stood up and stretched. "Damn, I have a lot to do tomorrow." I said. Roy looked at me as he put the chess board back into one of his two closets on the other side of the room.

"Let me guess. School, homework and a series of math tests." I froze. School? I hadn't even thought of that, nor did Dinah say anything about it, but I couldn't let Roy know.

"Uh, yeah. Well, that and a thousand hours of training." Roy looked at me confused.

"I thought you were the trainer, not the trainee." I rolled my eyes.

"Um, people have this problem that if they aren't taught something that they can't teach it." I smiled and Roy rolled his eyes.

"I guess I just didn't see you as a follower." He said. I laughed.

"You still got that right." I said. "Hm, now that I think about it, you don't seem like one either, not a leader in that case. Mmm...more a rule breaker." I said. Roy looked shocked.

"Really?" He asked, not believing me. I laughed.

"Oh, yeah." I said, almost laughing. "If anything, a rule breaker. But then again most of the rule breakers I knew all went to detention with me. And you don't seem like the detention kind of guy."

"That's good. Because if I was Oliver would kick my ass." I laughed.

"And Dinah would probably get me to kick your ass, too. Evidently those nails of hers she doesn't want ruined until her wedding." I said. "Now that I think about it, kicking your ass would probably calm my nerves too."

"Does anything but violence calm your nerves?" Roy asked. I laughed.

"Well nothing that you need to know about." I said, walking away. I could hear Roy laugh as I left and I suddenly wondered what he was thinking about. I rolled my eyes and wondered what Dinah's plans were actually, when it came to school. One thing was for sure though, even if I was forced to go to school by the two love birds (Dinah and Oliver to be exact), I could never become friends with anyone, not even Roy. Not only for the sake of their lives, but my own.


	10. Cold Feet

**Chapter 10: Cold Feet**

I groaned as I sat up in bed, listening to the bathroom shower going down the hall. I looked at the digital clock next to my bed and mentally rolled my eyes.

I stretched and sighed as I got up and walked downstairs to see if anyone in the house was up - well, except for Roy that is.

As I walked down the stairs I noticed Dinah, sitting on the couch drinking some for of a hot beverage as she watched some reality wedding show. I was quite surprised that she was up this early, seeing that she was all into beauty sleep and aromatherapy.

"Why are you up so early?" I asked as sat down next to her. I crossed my legs and stared at the T.V. not very interested in the wedding dresses. Dinah yelped at my sudden appearance and then sighed.

"Trouble sleeping." She said simply. Although I was staring helplessly at the T.V. screen, I knew that Dinah had a worried expression plastered on her face. Maybe it was just my sixth sense speaking, but Dinah's problems weren't only about sleeping.

"Cold feet?" I asked. I heard no response. "I know I'm not the best person to talk to or even in general," I began. I looked at Dinah. "But telling me the wrong answer isn't going to help your situation." Dinah sighed and looked into my eyes. I gave her a warmer than usual smile.

"Yes, cold feet." Dinah said solemnly. She looked down at her tea - which I had barely figured out was tea - and sighed again. "I guess I just woke up this morning, suddenly imagining my wedding turning to...to..."

"A living hell?" I asked. Dinah laughed lightly.

"Yeah, basically. I just couldn't accept my feelings that something was going to go wrong and I just needed to get away from...something...but, I...I..."

"You couldn't make yourself get out of the house." I finished. Dinah smiled down at her cup.

"I don't know whats wrong with me." She said. I stared at her and she looked up at me. "What is wrong with me?" I looked down.

"Can I give you some advice?" I asked as I stared at my lap. I could feel Dinah's eyes on me and I could see from the corner of her eye that she nodded. "Why don't you postpone your wedding, gather your thoughts and feelings, and take a little break. Go anywhere. I know your not really an adventurous type, but a solo trip to a nice cabin or hotel room in the woods or somewhere like that might help you clear your mind and get away from all the stress."

"Is that what you do?" I sighed and looked back down at my lap.

"Let's just say that stress is with me all the time, and its not going anywhere." Dinah looked away and I stood up and turned off the T.V. "So, go wake Oliver up."

"Right now?"

"Yes, right now. I don't care if you flip him off the bed or scream in his ear, but go wake him up. You need to tell him." Dinah smiled.

"How many times has this happened to you exactly?" Dinah asked me suspiciously. I sighed.

"In every single relationship I've had. But then again I wasn't as lucky as you." Dinah raised her brow. "Don't ask. Now go! God, stay here much longer and I'll do it myself, which I don't think you'll want to clean up that mess.." Dinah rolled her eyes and left.

"Moving much?" Someone asked behind me. I sighed and turned around.

"Evidently not moving enough for you." I said. Roy laughed.

"So you gonna go to school in that?" He asked, pointing at my grey sweatpants and my black tank top. I grunted.

"You wish."

"Now, why would I wish that?" Roy asked as I pushed past him to head up the stairs. I stopped at the seventh stair and looked down.

"Because guys like you only have two things that you look at, well technically three but we're not going there, and I only have one of those things."

"And what would that be?" He asked me, raising his brow. I smiled as he gave me a suspicious look.

"Cleavage."


	11. Camping Trip

**Chapter 11: Camping Trip**

"Ready for school?" Roy asked as he walked down the stairs. I knew that I wasn't actually going to school, for the sake of my life, but Roy didn't need to know that...ever.

"Not yet. Uh, Dinah's going to take me so you can drive yourself. You probably don't want some strange woman getting out of you car anyway." Roy raised his brow suspiciously and I ignored him, walking away as if nothing happened.

"Whatever." He said, grabbing his keys from the counter and walking out of the door. I sighed.

"Uh, Sarah?" I heard. I looked over to see Dinah peeking from behind the wall. "A little help?" She asked. I nodded and followed her into the room.

I was quiet surprised to see Dinah in a tight, short red cocktail dress, but then again she did have the body and chest to pull it off and it did look pretty good on her.

"Zip me up?" I laughed as I zipped up the back of her dress. I could hear Dinah swallow hard, but I didn't say anything. "Um, can we talk?" She suddenly asked me. I slightly raised my brow by the sudden question.

"Uh, sure, I guess." I said, watching Dinah sit down on her bed solemnly.

"Um, I don't really know how to start this, but, um..."

"Yes?"

"I'm going to be taking a break, as you suggested." She said as she stared at her hands. "I'm going to go to my mother's beach house that she bought a few years ago for a week or so..."

"Good." I said. Dinah started fiddling with her hands. "What do you need me to do?" I asked, smiling. Dinah laughed as she looked up.

"I need you to take the team out for the week." I froze. Out? What did she mean?

"Hold on, do you mean like out, out? As in.."

"The Appalachian Mountains." I raised my brow.

"Okay, I may have been born here, but I still have no clue where those are nor what they are, other then they're mountains."

"Did you fail geography or something?" Dinah asked me.

"No, I just haven't been in the United States for almost nine years." I said. Dinah looked surprised, but seemed to brush it off. "So why am I taking them to these 'Appalachian Mountains' again?"

"I had scheduled a, um, camping trip for tomorrow to teach everyone how to work while hiding. And now that I think about it, you do seem more qualified than any other person I know."

"Hold on." I said, pissed off that Dinah just told me that instead of, I don't know, a week ago. "First of all, you barely know me, and second, why would any of the team go into hiding? It's not like they can't just, you know, go back to living a normal life. Dinah, they're identities are completely safe. No one in hell will guess that a bunch of super heroic teenagers are going to be a bunch of rich kids, straight A students, and school jocks. So, why are they even learning this?"

"It's for their own good, Sarah! You out of everyone in the world should know this! You should know this more than me! For God's sake! Just help me out here!" I was silent. I wanted to talk back to Dinah so bad it hurt. But I couldn't. Not only was my fate practically sealed in her hands at the moment, but I wanted to live a little longer, even if it was just to fix a life.

"I get it." I said quietly. "I'll talk to the team today and we'll leave tomorrow morning. One question though." Dinah looked at me with a slight glare in her eyes. Her eyes seemed harder than usual, more of an angry side to Dinah shown. It wasn't that I was scared of her, more scared for her. "Transportation?" I asked. I could see Dinah's eyes soften a little, as if she was just trying to fix everything according to my advice. But the problem was that the stuff I told her was only advice, not a demand or command, but not a statement either.

"You'll be driving a truck I borrowed from a friend and Roy will be driving a van I also borrowed. After everyone gets to your choice of place in Central City, you'll be heading to the main airport in Colorado. After that, you get on the plane to Albany, New York, grab a car rental or two in this case and head for the mountains." I blinked.

"Okay, I have no clue about half of what you said." Dinah laughed.

"Roy can help you." Dinah said. I rolled my eyes as Dinah patted me on the back and left the room. I sighed as I heard the front door open and shut.

"Roy this, Roy that. What the hell is up with this family? God..." I said out loud. I sighed and walked out of the room, walking in the direction of the guest bedroom. "They better not give me hell about this..."


	12. Four Hours

**Chapter 12: Four Hours**

I entered the room silently, slightly familiar voices cascading off the rock walls and hitting my ears like I was right next to a loud stereo. I sighed as I watched M'gann and Rocket laugh and giggle at Zatanna's jokes. As usual, Artemis and Kid Flash were in the center of the room, screaming their heads off about something I wasn't really paying attention to. I looked to my left to see Aqualad and Robin explaining something to each other while Red Arrow stood in the corner, observing.

I took a deep breath. "Okay, listen up." I said. No one seemed to hear me and I noticed Red Arrow staring at me silently. I glared at him and walked into the center of the room. Pushing Kid Flash and Artemis away from each other before I ended up having to plan two funerals. The two screamed at each other and I rolled my eyes and took another, deeper breath. "Shut up!" I yelled, not as loud as I could, but loud enough that if the room would've been any smaller my yell would've bursted everyone's eardrums.

Everyone stopped and stared at me; some with wide eyes and some with confused eyes. I smiled. "Much better." I said. I let go of Kid Flash's suit, which I had to end up holding onto since he was a speedster after all and he stood there, more still than I had ever seen him. "Okay, as you already know, Black Canary had scheduled a little camping trip tomorrow morning for a week. Now, being her...thoughtful self she's directed me to take you all."

"And you're not going to take us." Red said. I glared at him.

"Actually, I am. And I am requesting a few things." I heard Kid Flash groan, but I ignored him. "I have canceled training today, for the sake of time and your health. I want you all to go home, or stay here, or wherever you need to go to pack your bags. Now, being the opposite of Canary, I want you all back here before ten o'clock, which gives you.." I looked at my hand watch, "four hours to pack everything you need, eat dinner if you haven't already, and I suppose say farewell to your family or whoever you live with."

"Does that include you? Do I get a kiss goodbye?" Kid Flash asked. I glared at him.

"I actually think I'll leave you in the mountains and you can race us home." I said. Kid Flash sighed. "Oh, and I almost forgot. One more request for all of you. When you're done packing your bags and everything like that, I want you all to bring a sleeping bag or blankets or some form of sleeping arrangement. You're going to need it all week. Including tonight, got it?"

Everyone nodded and hummed as they went through the zeta tubes. I sighed.

"Have you already gotten packed?" M'gann asked me. I looked over to her and nodded.

"Yeah, I have." I simply said. M'gann gave me a solemn look and I raised my brow. "Is there something wrong?" I asked. M'gann squinted her eyes and I felt a pain run through my head, which I quickly pushed out.

"No, nothing." She said quickly after. She ran to her room quickly and I glared at the now closed door.

"What are you looking at?" I heard from behind me. Zatanna. I turned around and stared at the fourteen year old's bright blue eyes.

"Just looking around, trying to figure out a few...architectural things." I said smoothly. I wasn't know for beating people's asses as much as I was being a smooth talker from where I had been in my lifetime. And I had to admit, I was pretty good at it too.

"Oh, really? That must be fun." She said enthusiastically. I gave her a fake smile and walked away, quickly checking my bags that was in the corner of the room. I sighed softly, not wanting M'gann or Zatanna or even Superboy to hear me. I knew I needed to keep a close eye on those three, seeing that M'gann had almost read my mind if I wasn't able to push her out soon enough and that Zatanna has a powerful magic that she still didn't know about and that Superboy, well, he had his super hearing and strength. One thing was for sure though, I could never let my walls down; Everyone's lives depended on it.


	13. Licensed

**Chapter 13: Licensed **

"Wake up! Wake up!" I heard from the living room as I began looking up the driving routes on the blue screen. "Wake up! Wake up!" I heard again. Kid Flash's voice seemed to be coming closer and closer every time and I suddenly noticed that he was now right next to me. "Wake up! Wake up!" He yelled in my ear. I covered my ears and tripped him. "Ow!" He said as he lied on his back on the hard floor. "What was that for?" He asked. I smiled.

"Trying to burst my eardrums." I said. He got up slowly as the rest of the team walked into the room.

"Are you going to change?" Zatanna asked me as she stared at my leather-like suit. I rolled my eyes.

"Unlike you people, I don't like to be seen, or even known about." I said, my eyes stuck on the screen. "So, yes, I am going to change."

"So, you're gonna show us your actual face?" I heard Kid Flash say. I turned off the screen and sighed, turning around to face him.

"Unfortunately, Kid, I can't hurt you on purpose unless I'm defending myself, and if that means the way your talking to me, then the next thing you're going to see is either a fist or a heel, got it?" He nodded and I smiled. "Good."

"Is violence the only way you can convince people to do something?" I heard. I looked over to see Roy in a black and red jogging suit. I smiled.

"No, but most of the others I'd never use in these situations." Roy raised a brow and I smiled again as I walked away. I picked up my bag and walked to the bathroom, quickly changing from my black suit to a comfortable pair of dark jeans and a plain white T-shirt.

My black bra showed a little underneath the light white, which was nothing compared to what I had worn last month in Moscow. I quickly changed my semi-comfortable heels to a pair of black and white converse.

I took off my mask and opened my makeup bag, pulling out some makeup remover and removing the dark makeup around my eyes. I quickly re-applied my mascara and put on a thinner line of black eyeliner. I pulled my hair out of it's regular high ponytail and let my un-naturally flat hair fall against my shoulders in its multiple layers.

I walked out of the bathroom, putting on my black jacket and pulling the hood up as I kept my head down. I could feel everyone's eyes on me as I walked out into the room.

"Let's go." I said softly as I followed everyone through the zeta tubes. We soon got to our vehicles, Roy embarrassingly getting into the drivers seat of an old, seven-seater mini-van, and me getting into a high-leveled red diesel truck that was obviously new. Artemis climbed into the front seat with me as Zatanna, Raquel (who had recently told me her name), and M'gann got into the back seat. I adjusted the mirror and sighed as I remembered the map that Roy had. I jumped out of the seat and walked over to the mini-van, leaning into the driver's window.

"Need this?" Roy asked, holding up the road map. I glared at him and reached for it as he threw it onto the passengers seat where Kaldur sat. "You can have it if you trade me vehicles." I laughed.

"First of all, I wouldn't ever trust you driving a bunch of teenage girls, second, I don't want to listen to the other red head in the back and third, I'll just follow you." I smiled. Roy rolled his eyes and I stood up straight.

"Hey," Roy said, I looked back down to see Roy smiling. "Maybe you should wear something not so see-through." I laughed.

"Maybe you should stop looking at women's breasts and actually get a life." Wally and Robin laughed in the backseat and Conner was quiet.

"What does that mean?" He asked. I rolled my eyes and Roy laughed.

"Roy can tell you during the car ride." I said.

"What? You leave all the explaining to me?" I laughed.

"Uh, yeah. You're the driver and I doubt anyone else would or could explain it." I said. "Plus, it's not like he's asked about the other thing that I know no one else would want to talk about." I whispered. Roy shook his head.

"You're just full of answers, aren't you?" I laughed.

"I'm full of a lot more things than you need to know." Roy raised his brow and sighed.

"I'm not going to ask in case you actually do have an answer for that one. Anyway, you got your phone?" Roy asked me.

"Yep." I said, holding up the phone that Dinah and Oliver had gotten me. Though they bought it for me, I still thought of it as borrowed. I couldn't hold myself to think that I could keep it, even after seeing the bill, and I couldn't imagine the couple paying almost a thousand dollars a month just to keep a phone I didn't really care about working.

"Good. Call me if you need anything." I rolled my eyes.

"What are we? A married couple?" Roy sighed as Wally and Robin laughed in the backseat. "You two should start dating. I hear that a comedian plus a comedian equals a hilarious backstory." The two shut up quickly after I said that and I smiled.

"Well, you evidently don't know the area very well so I'm just making sure you don't get lost."

"Aw. How sweet of you. I'll also call you when I get a paper cut and you can go search the country for a bandaid." I said sarcastically. Roy sighed.

"So now your mocking me?" Roy asked. I smiled.

"More than you realize." I said. I walked away and got back into the truck, immediately turning on the loud engine. The engine roared and began to idle as I stepped on the brakes and changed the gear.

"Are you licensed to drive a truck like this?" Artemis asked me. I laughed.

"If I wasn't, I think Dinah would've given me the mini-van instead of this." Artemis laughed and I loosened my step on the brakes. I quickly followed the mini-van and the awkward conversation began.


	14. Airport

**Chapter 14: Airport**

"Come on, Artemis, you and Wally would make the cutest couple!" M'gann said. Artemis growled.

"Now way in hell would Wally and I ever hit it off." She said. M'gann whined.

"I'm with M'gann on this one." Raquel said. "You two would make the most perfect fast children."

"Oh, God..." I said. M'gann squealed.

"Ah! We should so do a role play where Artemis and Wally get married and then have-"

"Okay, I think that's enough for Artemis." I said. I looked at Artemis and her eyes showed me gratitude. I put my eyes back on the road and it was silent.

"So," Artemis began as she looked over at me. "What's with you and Roy?"

"Roy and I?" I asked.

"Yeah, what's up with you too? It's like your married or something." I laughed.

"Uh, it's more like part of my job. Since I have to be kinder than usual to everyone that unfortunately includes Roy, which at times can be a pain in my ass." I said as I pulled onto the street that lead to the airport. It became unusually quiet and all I could hear was a few planes flying over us and the loud engine.

Nearly ten minutes later, Roy and I were parked in the airport parking lot. I got out and grabbed my backpack and suitcase from the back of the truck. Everyone got out quickly, and I locked the truck.

Not more than an hour later did we get to the gate and I set my bags down. Everyone got comfortable, seeing that we had nearly two hours till the plane was supposed to come back to get us, and I stood up.

"Anyone want anything?" I asked.

"Black Coffee." Roy said. I raised my brow.

"Black? Wow, your definitely manlier than you seem." Roy glared at me.

"Thanks." He said.

"Anyone else?" I asked. Everyone shook their heads as they took out the multiple snacks they had brung. "Okay, I'll be right back." I said as I pulled out my phone and wallet. I walked up to the counter and waited for someone to take my order.

"Hi, what can I get for you?" The young man asked me. I looked up and smiled.

"Um, a medium black coffee and...I think I'll do your special today." He smiled at me as he typed in the order.

"Okay, that'll be eight ninety-five." I handed him the cash and he went to work. I stepped to the side as I waited.

My phone began to ring and I looked at the caller I.D. I didn't recognize it. _  
_

"Here's your coffee ma'am."

"Thanks." I said as I took the coffee over to Roy. "Take it." I said, handing it to him. He smiled and raised his brow. I picked up my phone and answered it.

"Hello?" I said.

"Do you really think that you could hide from me in?" I heard a low voice say. I swallowed hard, feeling my heart pound in my chest harder and harder each moment. I turned away from the group.

"What the hell do you want?" I said in a low voice. I could feel shivers go up and down my spine as I heard his voice.

"You know exactly what I want." I turned back and noticed Roy looking at me. I turned back around and walked to the empty seats on the other side of the room. I looked around, feelings someone's eyes on me, eyes other than the team's. I noticed a young woman staring at me across the room from behind a pair of shades. Her plum-colored hair brightened her dark skin. She was wearing a black pantsuit and a pair of dark purple alligator skin print pointy heels that I immediately recognized. "See that security camera above Miss Cathryn?" I swallowed. "Yes, that's right. Now, if you want to live I suggest you go with her. Oh, and if you fuck up...well, let's just say that your blood will be spilled all across the airport." He hung up and I almost dropped my phone. I quietly walked back over to the team who were staring at me suspiciously.

"What's wrong?" I heard Artemis ask. I swallowed.

"Nothing." I said quickly. "I'll be back." I said as I walked off with my backpack. Roy grabbed my arm and pulled me aside.

"What's going on?" He asked in a deep voice.

"Nothing important." I said.

"You liar." He said. I sighed.

"Just let me handle it." I said.

"What's going on, Sarah?"

"It's nothing that you need to be worried about, so get over it." I said.

"Are you just going to keep on lying to us? To the team? Whatever you're trying to get away with, Sarah, it's not going to work. So I suggest you sit down and wait until we get onto that god damn plane." I glared at him.

"First of all, you have no right to tell me what to do. Second, I'm not trying to 'get away' with anything. And third, maybe you should just stick to your own damn business." I walked away and was glad that Roy didn't stop me. I walked into the bathroom and sighed as I looked at my pathetic self in the mirror. I looked down at the sink and sighed and looked up to see Cathryn in the reflection.

"Maybe you should try to be a little more stealthy." She said, smiling as she took off her shades to reveal her reddish-orange eyes. I swallowed.

"Again, what the hell do you two want from me at this second? I have nothing to give you." She smiled brighter.

"Revenge. Justice. The pleasure of killing you with my bare hands." I turned around and glared at her.

"Why not money or fame or something a little more, I don't know, sane?" I asked. She laughed.

"Because Joe and I already have money and fame. We have an unlimited supply of money, and we're always on the news. But, you already knew that."

"Of course I did."

"To answer your question, I just can't see why people like you still live in this world. I mean, if you were one of us, I'd happily let you live, but since your halfway between them and us, it seems only right to terminate you."

"And you're going to do it in here? At this exact moment?" I asked. Cathryn smiled.

"Of course...darling." Cathryn pinned me to the wall, her hands on my neck, strangling me. My lungs and throat burned as I clawed at Cathryn's hands. I quickly gained an idea and swung my hands to the back of Cathryn's head and pulled on her hair. She squealed in pain. I felt her hands leave my throat and gasped as I fell to the floor, coughing. "You bitch." She said, staring at me from the floor.

"I'm not the only one in here." I said hoarsely. She growled and got on top of me, reaching for my neck again. I reached my leg up and kicked her in the stomach, standing up quickly and preparing for another blow. She got up and ran at me once again and I pushed her back, her head hitting the glass and shattering it, leaving little blood on the counter.

She swung at me once again and I dodged her blow and flipped her over, quickly reminding me of my fight with Roy. She quickly got up and ran at me, pushing me into one of the stall separators and reaching for my neck again. I kneed her quickly, watching her as she held her stomach. I began to feel lightheaded and the bathroom started to spin. I suddenly felt a something hard hit my jaw and I fell onto the floor on my back. I felt a sharp pain shoot up and down my spin and I turned over, reaching toward the painful spot to find something sharp sticking into it. Glass.

I pulled out the glass, my muscles clenching and swallowed hard to find the glass piece covered in my dark red blood. I could see Cathryn smile as she stood back up and I gave it all my strength to pull myself up. I gripped the counter and breathed deeply, trying my best to ignore the continuously shooting pain in my spine.

"I told you." She said. "I'm going to destroy you." She came at me and I let go of the counter, slightly falling as I grabbed her arm and pushed her as hard as I could into the mirror. I fell to the floor, luckily avoiding the falling glass pieces. I looked over as Cathryn fell to the floor, a small river of blood flowing from her forehead. I took a few deep breaths and stood up, still avoiding the shooting pain.

I lifted her up as much as I could and set her in the stall, closing it afterwards. I left everything else untouched, not caring much for what everyone else would think. The plane left in ten minutes anyway. I wiped off the little blood on my forehead and covered up the small cut with my hair. I slipped off my jacket and my white shirt and looked at the small gash near my spine. I carefully dabbed it with a wet paper towel and searched through my bag, finding what was left of my traveling first aid kit. I wrapped my torso up carefully and put my white shirt back and covering it with my black jacket that didn't show the redness of my blood, but only the small hole.

I gathered up all my things and headed back, noticing that the team had yet to be boarded. I sat back down next to Roy and stared at the front desk.

"Going to tell me what happened?" He asked suspiciously. I ignored his gaze and stared at the front desk as they called the rest of the people on board. I sat up, ignoring the question and we all quickly got onto the plane. I sat down at the window seat I was assigned and noticed Roy sit down next to me, smiling. "You have the whole plane ride to tell me." He said, looking away.

I wanted to faint or fall asleep or something at that moment just looking at Roy. I swallowed. He was going to give me hell if I didn't tell him, which I didn't want, but I couldn't tell him. It was none of his business. Plus I wouldn't gain his trust, which Dinah said would help me survive in the end if I had gained at least most of the teams trust, including Roy. I sighed silently, staring at my shaking hand. Either way - telling Roy or not - I was screwed.


	15. Would You Rather?

**Chapter 15: Would You Rather?**

I opened my eyes slowly, letting my vision clear as I noticed the bright lights down below. The sky was pitch black, which wasn't that surprising since we were going East and that the plane was late getting to the airport earlier. I laid my head back and felt a weight on my shoulder. I looked over to see Roy leaning against me and I rolled my eyes.

The plane soon landed and we all got back together and headed for the car rental area which was on the opposite side of the airport. The pain was shooting through my back as I walked to the car rentals, but I ignored it as much as I could, seeing that I didn't want anyone to know about it.

"Name?" The person at the counter asked Roy and I once we got there. The team stood at the back of the room and I could feel all of their eyes on me. I was slightly worried that Conner would be able to detect my injury, but his supervision wasn't used to see underneath clothes as it was underneath the skin and behind walls.

"Roy Harper and Sarah.."

"Lawson. Sarah Lawson." I said. The man nodded and typed in the names, quickly handing Roy a set of keys and then smiling as he held out another pair of keys for me. I raised my brow as we walked away and Roy laughed.

"Are you really that naive?" He asked as we walked outside, the team following us.

"What do you mean?" I asked. Roy laughed again.

"That guy at the counter...the way he looked at you..." Roy hinted I rolled my eyes.

"I don't think that I'm the one who's really naive." I said. I could see Roy raise his brow from the corner of my eye. "You men think that every time someone looks at a girl like that it's like the automatically like you, but the reality is one of two things." I stopped at the edge of the parking lot and looking at Roy. "Money or sex."

"Wow, pissed off are we." I swallowed.

"You don't know the half of it." I said. Yes, I was pissed off to say the least, but I was also scared and in pain. And that combination wasn't the best. We walked to the end of the parking lot, finding our cars and I was glad that I got a normal car this time. All the girls got in the car and I quickly searched through my bags, trying to find something to kill the pain. I sighed, finding nothing and walked over to Roy who was putting the suitcases in the truck of the red four door mustang.

"Hey, do you possibly have any pain pills or something like that." Roy raised his brow.

"Why?" I glared at him. Of course he was going to be curious.

"Back pain." I said. Roy raised his brow again, pulling out a pill bottle and tossing it to me. I caught it and quickly popped a pill into my mouth, swallowing it without a drink.

"Without a drink? Impressive." He said getting into the drivers seat of the car. I leaned into the window again and handed the bottle to him. I smiled.

"Well, unlike most of you, I'm not a wimp." Roy laughed.

"So you think I'm a wimp?" He asked. I smiled and turned my head to the side.

"Well that was definitely one thing that came to my mind when I met you."

"And the others were?"

"That we would hate each other even forever, even after death." Roy nodded.

"Surprisingly that also came to my mind." I laughed.

"Have the map?" I asked. Roy held it up.

"Playing follow the leader again?" I glared at him.

"If that means that the mountain doesn't collapse on me, then yeah. Let's play." I walked over to my rental car and got in, starting the engine.

"Okay, question." Artemis said, leaning in between Raquel and I. "How long is it going to take to get there?"

"If I knew, I'd tell you, but I haven't been in the US for years and I barely remembered what the Appalachian Mountains were." Nobody said a word and the ride was pretty quiet seeing that I was the only one who actually remained awake the whole entire time. We stopped at a campsite and quickly parked. I got out of the car and sighed.

"God, I haven't been camping since.."

"Since, when?"

"Since I was eight." I said honestly. Roy didn't say anything and the two of us quickly set up the four tents.

"Okay, who sleeps where?" Roy asked. I laughed.

"Well, there's no way in hell that we mix up genders so I'd say Wally and Robin in one, you and Kaldur in another..."

"Why is that exactly?"

"Because he's smart enough not to piss you off, and you...well, you're just a jackass. Plus if Kaldur can deal with your ass, then I doubt he'll end up killing you, which wouldn't be good."

"Oh, so you now care about me?"

"No, I just don't want Dinah to kill me. Or Aquaman. Or Oliver. Or Batman. Or- you want me to keep going?"

"I think I'm good." He said. "So, do we leave them in the car or what?"

"Hell, no. The last thing I want to happen is to wake up with no cars and being stuck with you."

"I agree. That would probably end with Hell freezing over." I nodded and I quickly woke the teens up. They all got up surprisingly, and we decided to sit around a fire. Artemis sat next to me.

"So, what game should we play?" Artemis asked. M'gann squealed.

"How about Would You Rather?" M'gann said.

"Or Truth or Dare." Raquel suggested.

"How about both?" Zatanna asked. I rolled my eyes.

"Good Idea!" Robin spoke up.

"I vote Would You Rather first." Wally said. I sighed.

"Would You Rather it is!" M'gann said.

"Me first!" Wally said. "M'gann, would you rather go out with me or Conner?"

"Um...I think I'll pass."

"You can't pass!" Wally said.

"I thought you could." Zatanna spoke up.

"Why don't we just say that we get one pass?" Robin said. Everyone agreed.

"Okay, my turn right?" M'gann asked. Everyone nodded. "Um...Robin, would you rather go on a date with Zatanna, or be arrested by the police?" Robin cackled.

"Go on a date with Zatanna by far." Everyone laughed and I could see Robin looking at me.

"Sarah." I closed my eyes and looked up to see everyone's eyes on me. I raised my brow at Robin. "Would you rather marry Roy or be chased down by the Russian government?" I froze. Chased down by the Russian government. Honestly, I was shocked at Robin's statement seeing that two years earlier I had been chased down by the Russian government, which ended up badly for the government and good for me. I swallowed.

"You can pass, you know." Roy said. It was weird that Roy said that instead of anyone else.

"No, I'll answer." I said. Roy gave me a suspicious look. "I'd rather be chased down by the Russian government." I said.

"Why?" M'gann asked. I sighed.

"Because the Russian government is weak. Too weak." Everyone was silent.

"So you'll answer M'gann's question, but not mine?" Roy asked. Everyone stared at the two of us.

"I have no clue what you're talking about." I lied.

"Are you really going to use that line on me? What actually happened, Sarah?" Roy asked.

"It's none of your damn business."

"I think it is if you're part of this team." I laughed.

"But I'm not part of the team. I'm your trainer."

"That still gives me the right to know what you're planning on doing to this team."

"What I'm planning on doing to this team? Wow, harsh. I think that you're misinterpreting the whole thing. I'm your trainer, and you're my trainee. Do you not understand what I'm doing?"

"You may be training me, or at least trying, but you're hiding something." I glared at him.

"And what would that be, exactly?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out." I laughed as Roy walked away.

"And I thought I was the one with the trust issues." Roy stopped and turned around, walking back.

"Excuse me?" He said.

"What?"

"What did you just say?"

"Oh my God, do you get all offended when I say what's on my mind. Oh, wait, you're always looking for a way to seem offended."

"What the hell is your problem?"

"My problem? My problem is nothing that can be fixed nor nothing that you need to know about." I stood up.

"Being sexist?"

"Excuse me?"

"Is your problem being sexist?"

"No. It's not. And my problem's obviously something that none of you would understand. So I suggest to stop digging into other people's lives and think about your own for once. Maybe you'll find that knot in your heart that makes you pissed off at everyone." I said, walking away towards the tents. I sighed as I got in to my sleeping bag. It had been one hell of a day for sure, but I was not nearly as prepared for the following one.


	16. Aaron

**Chapter 16: Aaron**

It was fairly early when I woke up, at least six in the morning Eastern Time. Not as early as I usually got up, but not too late either. I got out of the tent that I ended up sharing with Zatanna and looked up at the colorful sky. A pattern of oranges, reds, and pinks cascaded through the sky. I had to admit that it was more beautiful in real life than in the pictures. I quickly changed in the campground restrooms and decided to take a walk into the woods.

Honestly, I was pretty afraid to go through the trees, seeing that Cathryn would be out for blood after the unfortunate event the day earlier, but thinking back to all my time I had spent inspecting and memorizing every square inch of the forests I had lived in made me feel better during each single step I took.

I walked down a small hill, seeing water pooling at the bottom and sat down in the tall grass, looking at the sparkling blue water. I wasn't much of a nature freak, nor a girly girl to say the least, but I did appreciate what the world had to give to me, especially when it gave me a place to hide or collect my thoughts in frightening and frustrating situations.

I heard a branch break and froze, listening to a few leave rustle. I reached behind my back, standing up a little and turning around quickly, aiming the barrel at the target.

"Do you always carry that around?" I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"What the hell do you want?" I asked, putting away the handgun. Roy laughed.

"Well, your attitude hasn't changed a bit." I sat back down and Roy sat next to me. "Do you always get up early?"

"Yeah, I'm not much of an early bird though. You?"

"I'd rather go to bed early and wake up early. So I guess you could say I'm an early bird."

"Well, congratulations, You can go catch the worm." Roy laughed.

"Yeah, the only problem is that I'm not a bird. And I don't eat worms."

"I guess that good right?"

"Oh, yeah. I'm good with not eating worms." I laughed and it became silent. "So, you going to tell me what happened yet or are you going to keep your walls up?"

"There's a big difference between keeping your walls up and being a bitch." I said.

"And so you choose to be a bitch?"

"No, I was raised that way." Roy raised his brow.

"You're not going to tell me anything are you?" I was quiet.

"Depends. What's in it for me other than humiliation and hatred?" I could feel Roy's gaze on me.

"The fact that we'd understand you more if you actually told us the truth." I could feel tears in my eyes, but I kept them in as I laughed lightly.

"That's the problem. You wouldn't understand. Hell, you couldn't understand." I stood up and walked off.

"How do you know?" Roy grabbed my arm and pulled me back as I glared at him.

"Because you all have one vision in your minds. And if I told you, you'd think about your way." I stomped off.

"Why do you care about how we look at you?" I stopped and turned around staring at Roy's confused eyes.

"Because your fate lies in my hands, and my fate lies in Dinah's hands. It a ripple effect that I'm not willing to take. But you won't understand, and I'm okay with that." I walked off, leaving Roy speechless. I sighed as I walked away back to camp with Roy on my tail.

The day went by normally, which was pretty surprising seeing that I wasn't exactly the safest person to be with. It was eight o'clock at night and just like before we all sat around the newly lit campfire to play another game. Since I had walked off early I had evidently missed the massive game of Truth and Dare so they all decided to play it again. With me as the first victim.

"Okay, Sarah, truth or dare?" Zatanna asked me. I could feel everyone's eyes on me, but Roy's eyes seemed to be glued on me the whole entire time.

"Um...truth." I said, not wanting to take a dare in case it had something to do with Roy.

"Okay...uh..." Robin whispered in Zatanna's ear and her eyes shot open wide. "Why would I say that?" She asked. The two had a quick conversation and I rolled my eyes. "Fine!" She said to Robin. I sighed. "Okay, Sarah, how many boys..." Robin whispered and Zatanna glared at him. "and girls...have you dated?" Somehow, I was expecting something about me being gay or lesbian, but I was pretty shocked to hear it from Robin, or even from Zatanna's mouth.

I thought about it for a moment. "Um...five-six guys, no girls." I said.

"Wow, how long did you keep them?" Wally asked me.

"It was more how long could they keep me in check, which with their background and stability, almost a year each, well except for that one guy. Six months passed and he was pretty much ready for a casket."

"You killed him?" M'gann asked. My eyes widened.

"No! No! I didn't kill him, he just couldn't handle my attitude or my family for that matter..." No one spoke.

"Your turn, Sarah." Zatanna said. I sighed.

"Fine. Uh..."

"Ask Roy." Artemis whispered in my ear.

"Why?" I asked her. She didn't say anything but smiled. "Sometime I'm going to think back and hate you for this." I said to Artemis. She laughed. "Okay, Roy, truth or dare?" I asked.

"Uh, dare. Wait, no truth!" He said looking at Artemis. I looked over to see an evil look on her face.

"Dare it is!" She said. "Tell him that you dare him to say something nice to you." Artemis whispered in my ear. I raised my brow.

"No thank you. Give me something better to work with." I said. Artemis smiled.

"Roy, she dares you to kiss her." Artemis said out loud. My eyes widened.

"What?!" I screamed. "Hold on, Artemis. I said something good to work with, not...well...that." I said, pointing at Roy.

"I like that dare!" M'gann said. Raquel and Zatanna began to laugh. I sighed.

"Wow...this is not how I thought my day was going to end..." I said out loud. I looked at Roy who had his eyes wide. He seemed frozen and I raised my brow.

"Uh..." He said as he focused his attention on Artemis. "I'm not so sure kissing a girl who has her heart set on kicking my ass and is carrying a concealed weapon is a good thing." He said. I laughed.

"I'm with you on that one." I said.

"Hold on, you carry a gun?" Wally asked, looking frightened. I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, and if I wanted to use it on you, I would've used it the day I met you so don't look at me like that...actually don't look at me in any way possible." I said. Robin laughed.

"So, the dare?" Artemis said. I rolled my eyes again.

"No, Artemis." I said.

"Ah! I wanted to see someone kiss!" M'gann said. I sighed.

"M'gann, one day you will understand, but for now just listen. Watching people kiss isn't always the best, especially when they're in that teenager to young adult age." M'gann raised her brow.

"Something you've experienced?" Roy asked.

"You could say that." I said. "Well, anyway, I think I'm going to go take a little walk down the road." I said, standing up. Roy's eyes followed me until I was unseen and I kept wishing that I could just get out of his view.

Honestly, I just wasn't comfortable talking to teenagers, let alone those teens, about my love life and what my pleasures were, even if they weren't talking about sex. It wasn't just uncomfortable though, it was also hard, seeing that they all had been raised better and were luckily a little more naive to most of the dirty world.

I walked through the trees, back towards the lake I had gone to earlier that morning. I felt my heart rate go down, slowing from its pounding state. The trees made me feel protected and shielded, well more than I was at camp. It made me feel more at home, even though it was nothing like the cold, frozen Siberian forests I had lived in for a little over a year and the cold, snowy areas of northern Canada.

I looked down at the lake from the hill I was standing on. The water looked so peaceful and calm. Not moving except for the small ripples that was made from the few drops of water falling from the sky. Of course, a little rain was followed by more and more, but I didn't care. I didn't want to leave the scene.

The rain began to die off surprisingly, seeing that it barely rained enough to sprinkle the floor and my clothes. My cream-colored wool sweatshirt was barely damp, same with my soft, cotton, aztec patterned leggings I never wore. My black ankle boots barely felt stuck in the mud which to me, was like heaven itself. I may not have been to big into fashion or the way I looked, but boots stuck in the mud killed me, literally. They slowed me down, tripped me, made my heart race. It was not something that I could ever afford to happen in the end.

I felt something grab my waist and I fell, the thing still wrapped around my waist as I plummeted into the deep water. I got up to the surface quickly, my lungs gasping for air. I looked around to see nothing around me, then something pulled me down. I struggled, finally getting back up and gasping for air once more. I looked in front of me and I could see something come up right next to me. My eyes widened as I tried to back away, my body suddenly forgot I was in water and my head bobbed under as I pulled myself up.

"W-what do you want?" I asked. He laughed as he pulled out a sharp pocket knife. His jet-black hair stuck to his forehead, lying there helplessly as his familiar bright blue eyes stared at me with admiration, lust, and unfortunately hatred.

"Me? Something I can't have. But _him_...you're death certificate." I swallowed hard, listening to his words. I couldn't think of anything more ironic between Zatanna asking me about my dating life and my ex attacking me.

"Aaron, you don't have to do this." I said softly. I could see the hatred disappear from his eyes as he looked at me and I realized that the hatred wasn't for me, it was for _him._ The man I hated to speak about.

"Yes, I do. I can't die. Not yet. Not with my family's murderer on the loose." I could feel tears forming in my eyes.

"No, you don't. You can run. You can hide. You can fight back. You have it in you. You just need to find it." He didn't say anything. "Please." I said softly. "Don't do this." I could see the fear in his eyes.

"I'm sorry." He said, holding up the knife. I closed my eyes. "Go." He said. I opened my eyes to see him drop the knife in the water. "Go. I can't do this."

"But what about-"

"He'll understand. You're very strong, inside and out. He'll be pissed, but he wants me to kill you either way. So I guess we're safe until our next meeting." I felt a warm tear fall down my cheek.

"How did I ever let you go?" I asked softly.

"Because I couldn't handle the stress of him. It was too much and I cracked. But you deserve better than some low life like me."

"You're not a low life."

"You can be way too kind when you want to be. Now go, before someone catches you or me. That'll turn into one hell of a mess." I smiled and swam next to him, kissing him on the cheek.

"Thank you." I whispered, quickly swimming back and getting up, shivering from the cold clothing stuck to my skin. I walked quietly back to camp and noticed that everyone was gone, but the fire was burning. I sat down on the log and stared at the fire, letting my clothes dry by the heat, even my wool sweater.

Nearly a half an hour later my clothes became dry. I sighed as I got up, throwing water onto the fire and letting it finish burning out before I went to bed. But I couldn't sleep. Aaron's face came up in my mind nearly a million times before I finally went to sleep, but sleep wasn't much better. Dreams of Aaron dying or him risking his life haunted me. I couldn't let him die for nothing, but I sure as hell didn't want to encounter _him _again after nine years of hiding. I didn't know what to do, nor how to do it.


	17. Zatanna

**Chapter 17: Zatanna**

It was barely the second day of camp and I was already feeling miserable. Roy was constantly on my back about telling the truth and letting him know exactly what the hell was going on, all the girls seemed to be addicted to the nightly game of Truth or Dare and trying to get Roy and I to kiss, the boys seemed to be having a great time making fun of Roy for his 'addiction' to me, which wasn't even real, and I was going through hell trying to decide what to do about the whole Aaron-Cathryn-_Him _thing. Let's just say it wasn't as easy as it seemed.

Being Wally's flirtatious self, Roy finally fell into taking the boys into town to see if they could get a phone number or two or even dip their feet into the water a little, which to me sounded completely disgusting, but I didn't say anything.

After Roy's little comment to me, I decided that since all the boys were going girl fishing, I'd take the girls to the mall or somewhere they could let off a little steam. Artemis had suggested a boxing tournament, but there was no way in hell I was taking any of them there after what I had been through. Eventually, after a thousand discussions about restaurants, malls, and gardens, the girls finally decided for me to take them to a small museum. And made me drop them off and leave them alone. I didn't understand if it was just their thought about my age or the fact that I wasn't like them, but I shook it off and decided to meet Roy at the mall parking lot, since the guys had told him that he couldn't come in with them for the sake of actually getting a girl's attention.

I laughed when I saw Roy in the front seat, practically stalking the guys from the window in the food court. I parked the car and hopped in the front seat, looking up to try to see what Roy was exactly looking at through his binoculars.

"Okay, question. Are you looking at the women or how the guys are treating them?"

"What do you think?"

"I honestly don't know." I said. Roy laughed.

"See, you are naive." I rolled my eyes.

"Wow, I never realized how much of a dick you actually are." Roy put the binoculars down and stared at me.

"Never ever say that again." I laughed.

"What? The word or the phrase?"

"Both." I laughed.

"See! You are a dick!" Roy sighed.

"Are you like engaged with that word or something, because if you are, I have so many things to say to you." I laughed.

"No, I'm not engaged to it. But I wouldn't be surprised if you were engaged to another word in the same category."

"What? Breasts?" I laughed.

"No, vagina."

"Oh, God. You're just going to keep on pushing it aren't you." I laughed.

"Probably. Beware." Roy rolled his eyes. "Anyway, enjoying your peace and quiet?"

"No, not really. I'd rather be hitting on that blonde up there." I looked up.

"Holy shit! That's my mother!" I said.

"What?" Roy screamed. I laughed hysterically.

"Oh, I got you good." I said. Roy groaned as he hit the steering wheel.

"What the hell is your problem?"

"My problem is my problem, remember."

"God, you are so damn stubborn."

"No, not stubborn. Just a bitch." We were quiet.

"Okay, I need your help. Someone who was in this car nearly thirty minutes ago said that he was being made fun of at school."

"How am I supposed to help you exactly?"

"Experience? Have you ever been called names before?"

"Yes."

"How did you deal with them?"

"Beat them up."

"What did they exactly call you?"

"A lot of things. But, it doesn't matter anymore." We were quiet. "I should go pick up the girls now, they must be dying to get out of that museum." Roy laughed as I got out of the front seat.

"Let's just meet back at camp."

"Okay." I got back in my own rental car and quickly picked the girls up and driving back to the camp. We got there about an hour after I picked them up, seeing that there was a lot of traffic. Surprisingly, it was almost dark when we got back to camp and we ended up playing another round of Truth or Dare and a quick game of Would You Rather? And of course...they had to start with me.

The game was very PG rated this time, luckily, and it was quite easy to get through. Not once had anyone brought up something between Roy and I, fiction or non fiction, which really improved my day. Honestly, I had expected another hellish day seeing that my last few weeks had been hell in themselves. But this one seemed to be more relaxed and calm, even after all the driving and old rock music. I mean I wasn't against old rock music at all, I just didn't care for it as much as current pop or rock itself.

"So, question. What's your favorite color?" Zatanna asked me while I was slipping into my sleeping bag. I sighed.

"Probably black, especially on days where I don't want to be seen, but I also have a weird love for metallic colors like silver and gold, they just pop out at me." Zatanna laughed.

"I love metallic colors, mostly silver and gold, but not like those weird plum colors that are awkwardly shiny and sparkly, you know."

"Oh, God. I love those colors. Anything dark, I love. The only exception is probably white and neon green. I sometimes just have this need to wear a neon green accessory or something like that, and that's saying something since I'm not really a girly girl."

"I am so a girly girly. I mean pink, love it. It's definitely something that I couldn't live without." I laughed as Zatanna yawned. "We should get to bed."

"No kidding, you need your rest, girl."

"So do you."

"I'm not the one still growing." Zatanna laughed.

"Fine, I'll give you that one." Zatanna said as I turned off the flashlight and pulled up my sleeping bag. I was tired, and I had to admit that. I almost didn't even want to talk to Zatanna. But after that talk with her, I felt more in touch with her. And that scared me, it scared me really bad.


	18. Home Sweet Home

**Chapter 18: Home Sweet Home**

"Okay, I so want to go home." Raquel said.

"Me too.." M'gann whined. I sighed.

"Does everyone want to go home?" I asked. Everyone nodded, including Roy. I sighed.

"Can't blame you." I said. "How about this. If we leave early, you guys have to promise to work three times harder in training than usual. Deal?"

"Yeah. Deal." Wally said as everyone else nodded. I smiled.

"Kay, pack your bags. We're going home."

Everyone suddenly jumped up and ran to their tents and I rolled my eyes. Honestly, I was a bit at home seeing that my home had been the forest for over a year. But now that I had been able to stay with Dinah and have the luxury of a soft bed with warm blankets and not have to deal with waking up in the middle of the night thinking that the noise outside is either a murderer or a bear was actually quite pleasant.

I stood up myself and started to pack my own bags, taking my sleeping bag out and rolling it up, and then putting everything in the trunk. For a day as sunny as that day, I was quite surprised that everyone just wanted to stay in the car the whole ride and not even get out to eat.

Roy and I quickly parked in the parking lot of the airport and walked into the car rental area talking to them about a car that we could drive to the airport in Colorado. Surprisingly, they let us stay in the cars we had already had rented and just put the extra bill onto the credit card number Dinah had given them, which was probably Oliver's, but he'd let it slide if it was for a good purpose. And getting home was a pretty damn good purpose.

Throughout our four day adventure, which consisted over multiple hotel stays and restaurant stops and not to mention a few hundred stops for souvenirs, it was pretty much smooth. No one actually found me and tried to kill me again, lucky me, and there was no sign of anyone I knew who was after me so I felt pretty good about my safety. Well at that moment of course.

After getting home I was pretty worn out, seeing that I had stayed awake a while, driving and following Roy who seemed to be sleeping at the wheel at times, which later I learned that he didn't and he was just very tired. Getting back to the guest room was exhausting, climbing up the stairs was even exhausting. After reaching my room I completely collapsed onto the bed and I surprisingly got a good nights rest, which I later learned that I was going to need. I was going to need it badly.


	19. Undercover

**Chapter 19: Undercover**

I woke up later than usual with my head pounding. I knew that nothing major happened last night, other than the last night of driving across the country and finally collapsing onto the guest bed, it was a pretty normal day. Then I remembered the rest of the trip. The airport - with Cathryn - and the lake - with Aaron - was something that I had yet to tell anyone, not even Dinah.

Honestly, I was glad that Dinah was still gone and rethinking about her whole marriage thing, I know I would. It wasn't that I didn't trust Oliver or anything, because he was a good man and definitely a good man toward Dinah, but some people just can't handle the stress of a marriage, and Dinah was one of the victims of the stress.

I didn't mean to cause Oliver stress or anything because that wasn't at all my intention, but I had seen many marriages just fall apart after these two people just decide to get married and not think about how it could affect themselves as people and how it could affect their own lives and jobs.

I headed downstairs that morning and noticed the whole team, including Batman and surprisingly Wonder Woman downstairs. I raised my brow as I walked over toward them.

"Good, you're awake." Diana said. I held my head.

"Now, that you are all here, we have something to say."

"You two are getting married?" Zatanna asked. I almost laughed. I mean come on, Batman never showed emotion and Wonder Woman was that badass girl type. Plus there was something inside of them that told me that they'd both want to be in control of the relationship and that was really saying something. Then again, sometimes people fall in love with people exactly like them and it works out perfect.

"No, we're not." Wonder Woman said with no emotion. Scratch out that. Both of them barely showed emotions, especially during serious conversations.

"The Joker is teaming up with multiple other villains, including Sportsmaster, Cheshire, Lex Luthor, and a man who calls himself 'The Phantom'. We need you all to go undercover as guests at Joker's 'death party.'" I swallowed hard.

"Now, you'll all need the best costumes so I asked an old friend of mine to whip up some costumes which are in these boxes." Diana said, pointing to the stack of boxes behind her.

"The invitations are located in the boxes which also include the time and date. We've also put each of your job descriptions in there so goodluck." Batman said, quickly walking away with Diana. I sighed and grabbed my box after everyone else grabbed theirs.

"Oh my god. I have to take out Harley and wear this?" Artemis said, holding up an exact copy of Harley Quinn's costume. I smiled.

"Hm...Never ever expected to be wearing this." Raquel said, holding up her copy of Cheshire's costumes. I started to wonder if we were just replacing everyone, until it came to Zatanna and M'gann.

"A waitress?" Zatanna said as she held out the apron and silver platter.

"A dress!" M'gann said, holding up her black and white sparkly dress. I was quite shocked that she had gotten something so...modest. I looked over to the guys who had already opened their packages and held out multiple dress suits. Everyone looked at me and I sighed.

"Well, open it!" I heard M'gann say. I took a deep breath and opened the box. My eyes widened and my heart pounded and I suddenly felt light headed. My grip became looser, and I gripped it tighter, bending the box with my fingers. I felt my arms and legs shake. This couldn't be happening.

I didn't get a costume nearly as close to anyone in the room. I stared at the shiny leather and the golden studs and my eyes trailed down to the spiked heels. I swallowed hard. My vision became blurry and I realized I had tears in my eyes. But they weren't tears of joy, they were tears of nervousness. I took a deep breath.

"So?" I heard Artemis say. I sighed and looked up at everyone, noticing the confused looks on their faces. I swallowed again. I knew that I had to put on the suit if everyone were to live and succeed the mission. I sighed once more and closed my eyes, taking another glance at the very familiar costume.

A million thoughts plowed through my mind telling me to let out the secrets and tell everyone the truth. But that wouldn't help. That would just cause even more disaster. I sighed and swallowed and looked back up at everyone, the confused looks still plastered on their clueless faces.

"You're going to have to trust me on this one." I said quietly. "Follow my lead, or we're all screwed."


	20. Black

**Chapter 20: Black**

I stood outside, leaning against the hard brick wall of the mansion. The cold wind blew shivers down my legs, which was barely covered with fishnets. My legless bodysuit covered my torso pretty well, with the exception of the deep V in the front. My long black lashes poked out from the decorative mask I wore. My curly hair blew in the wind and I immediately regretted not pulling it up into a ponytail.

"Come to see me?" I heard. I looked to my right to see an all too familiar face. I glared.

"Unfortunately for you, no."

"Oh, so you're going to see the 'big man'?"

"Wow, the new nickname really suits him, doesn't it?"

"In your eyes? I doubt it." I laughed.

"Yes, I'd prefer a few other...words for him."

"Why did you want me to meet you here, exactly?"

"I needed a favor, and you're the only person I can trust."

"Have you already forgotten about Aaron?"

"No, he just tried to kill me a week ago, and I don't feel like running into him again."

"Reasonable. What's the favor?"

"I need you to get all these teens out of this mansion before midnight." I said, handing him a folder in my bag. He looked through it.

"May I ask why?"

"Because they don't need to know what's really going on. Nor do they need to know who I really am."

"By midnight, right?"

"Yes and every last one of them. You leave one, and I swear I'll kill you."

"Wow, threatening me already." I rolled my eyes.

"Just do it."

"What do I get out of it." I was silent.

"The pleasure of not having to take orders from _him."_

"But his daughter instead?" I glared at him.

"I'm not his daughter." I said harshly.

"Whatever you say." He began flipping through the folder again and then suddenly stopped. "When you said I was the only one you trusted...you really meant that didn't you." He raised a brow at me.

"It's not like that, Patrick, we're just team mates."

"That's what you said two years ago, when you left me with _her_."

"It was for your own safety. Everyone was hot on my trail, and I could let you two become the victims of...of...well, _him_!"

"You could've told me, you know."

"I couldn't. I couldn't tell you. They'd kill you if you even had a clue where I was."

"I cared for you. It didn't matter if they killed me. I loved you. And you left me clueless." He walked off and I sighed.

"Better do my job then." I said to myself, backing up and running toward the house, jumping up to catch the ledge of the open window with my fingertips.

I climbed in, noting the biggest changes of the room since I had been in there last. I swallowed hard, noticing that the virgin white walls were now painted a deadly red, as if telling me 'Welcome to Hell'. The wood bed frame laid in the corner of the room, broken in pieces as the blankets lay shreaded across the floor. Metal objects and multiple weapons were on the floor next to packages of bullets and knife sharpeners. I took a deep breath, calming my now fast heart rate as I snuck out the door and down the hall. I crawled next to the stairs, looking through the small pillars at all the guests, some dressed up in costumes I recognized and some dressed up in fancy suits and dresses.

I noticed Artemis, who wore her Harley Quinn costume. The real Harley was no where to be found and I smiled. It was the same for Raquel. Her Cheshire costume made her look pretty much the same to the real one, but no one would notice her flaws.

I noticed Zatanna carrying around her silver tray while wearing a mysterious mask and M'gann who seemed to be socializing with the boys as if they were strangers. I smiled.

"Excuse me, miss, but I'm not sure that you are on the list." I turned around and rolled my eyes as I looked at Mr. Cobblepot, who was also known as Penguin. I quickly took out a small bag I had hiding on the side of my suit and threw the dust onto him. His eyes shut and he fell down.

"Don't worry, Mr. Cobblepot, you'll awake in about..." I looked at the clock. "Five hours." I stood up and gasped as I felt someone behind me and a blade on my neck.

"A little inexperienced, aren't you dear?" I heard. I pulled the knife away just enough to turn around and knee the man in the crotch. His yelp cascaded throughout the room and everyone looked up at me. I sighed and rolled my eyes.

"You just couldn't help it could you?" He laughed.

"You just can't help but to prove everyone wrong, don't you?" I laughed.

"Maybe getting into other people's business is your weak spot." He threw a punch at me and I dodged it, flipping him over the railing and watching him crash into one of the plastic tables.

"Come to play, did you?" I heard the Joker say. I laughed.

"If I did, wouldn't you think I'd bring some toys?" I said, jumping over the railing and landing on my feet next the the Joker.

"What are you here for little girl?" I laughed.

"It's more like what I came to do.." I said, cracking my knuckles. The guy who I had thrown over the railing was no behind me and I turned toward him, punching him in the face and watching him as he fell to the floor, unconscious. I laughed. "That was one thing I came to do."

"Then what is the other?" I looked at Artemis and nodded and she swung at the Joker, knocking him out cold. I had to admit, for a villain, he was very weak.

"That was also on my list." I said to the unconscious body. I laughed. "So, who's next?" I asked, paying special attention to Patrick who stood in the background as he pulled the black cloth over his head. It was definitely a little scary to know that I was practically teaming up with a ninja, but I shook it off since I trusted him as a person, well, sorta.

I began fighting off Joker's crazy guard like people as Patrick got the team away from the fight. After my multiple fights with the villains, with the exception of 'The Phantom', I quickly got away, sneaking off the mansion property with the plans for Joker's apocalypse. I got back to the cave quickly and gave Batman the plans and decided to take a little walk.

I walked calmly and slowly down the pretty silent streets and stopped when I heard a dark, deep voice.

"You think you can get away from me this easily?" I heard. I turned around to see _him_. I swallowed hard.

"What do you want?" He laughed.

"You know what I want, you always have."

"What do you want?" I asked again. He smiled.

"That girl back, the one who used to be my partner. The one that didn't find me scary. The one that didn't find me evil."

"That girl's long gone. She was gone nine years ago." He laughed.

"But after this, she'll be right back where she started." I raised my brow and I felt something hard hit the back of me head. I fell onto the black asphalt and my vision went black.


	21. Lead Pipe

**Chapter 21: Lead Pipe**

"Wow, you've made a good impression on those kids, Miss Lawson." The elderly man said as we watched the screen. I glared at him, moving my arms and legs to try to loosen the tight rope the kept me sitting straight against the chair.

"Why don't you just give up already? You can't get out of it." Cathryn said, her words practically purring. I glared at her.

"I will never give up." She laughed.

"Really? Then why does our records say otherwise?" She smiled. "You know, from Aaron to Patrick and now those teenagers." The screen went blank and I swallowed hard. "In their eyes...you've given up. Well, in that boy's eyes...what's his name again? Oh, yes, Roy. Well, in his eyes...you're just a thief."

"Then again, that does suit her well, don't you agree?" I looked over to the shadows to see Sportsmaster and Cheshire. "If only my daughter was as...time bound as you."

"Though we're lucky she isn't as feisty as that little firecracker." I glared at Cheshire.

"Can I help you two?" The man asked.

"Yes, just a few weapons are needed for our little trip East. It seems the Justice League has a lot on their plate at the moment, mentally dealing with her and physically dealing with the Injustice League, so we've decided to go out and pay them a visit for old times sake." My heart pounded harder in my chest. Visit them? As in kill them? That couldn't be good at all.

"Down the hall and the first right. Take whatever you want. My treat." The man said. Cathryn laughed.

"Should I tell her?" Cathryn asked. He smiled and nodded. "We'll let you go on one condition." My heart beating fast as Cathryn whispered in my ear. I could feel my heart stop as she said a single word that made my whole body freeze. I couldn't do what she said, I couldn't. But I couldn't let myself die either. She untied the handkerchief that was in my mouth. "Got it?" She asked. I was frozen in place as I tried to answer. She grabbed my neck and my throat began to burn. "Answer me." She said in a spine-chilling voice.

"Y-yes." I said through my collapsing lungs. She let go of my neck and I gasped, taking in the dust filled air as I coughed. My body began to heat up as I replayed Cathryn's words. I heard the old man laugh and I looked over to my left to see him smiling at me as he held a lead pipe.

"Why don't we set a few rules.." He said walking over to me and pulling out a pocket knife, placing it at my throat. I leaned back, getting my neck as far away from the knife as he gagged me again. "First of all, we should probably tell you that...you're not going anywhere." I glared at him. Of course that bastard would lie to me. Why wouldn't he? "Second, you are not to talk at all to any of them. Third, I own you now, my dear. Don't piss me off. And Forth..." He laughed. "Well, you'll find out the rest on the battlefield.

My eyes widened as he stood up. Battlefield? I looked up as his hands swung behind his back and I practically gasped, coughing into the tight handkerchief. I cringed as the lead pipe hit my head hard, my eyes shutting tight as I blacked out. I was not prepared for what was about to come next.


	22. Helicopter

**Chapter 22: Helicopter**

My eyes opened slowly, taking in the loud noises around me and the familiar smell of blood and metal mixed together. The blurriness in my eyes faded and Cheshire's cat mask came into view perfectly through my red colored contacts. Cheshire laughed behind her mask.

"Good night's sleep?" She asked in a low, mysterious voice. I swallowed as I tried to speak, but my voice seemed to be paralyzed at the moment. I looked down to see my hands chained to the sides of one of the helicopter seats. I could feel my heart race as I looked down at my outfit. Black thigh high boots, an awkward strapless semi-body suit with cuts on each side, and of course, two stabbing back pains as I leaned against the seat, which would be none other than the classic samurai swords. My breath became shallow.

"If you think sleep is being knocked out against you will then, no, I did not." I said. Cheshire laughed, taking out her weapons and sharpening them one by one, aiming them toward my heart at every stopping point. I swallowed hard, resisting the sudden urge to punch her in the face. I might've been chained down to the seat and had already figured out a way to get out of them (with ten seconds to spare most likely), but punching my enemy in a helicopter full of sharp objects and steroid-filled men just didn't seem worth my time, energy, or well-being.

"I admire you." She said suddenly. I raised my brow, slightly smiling behind the solid black cloth that hung loosely around my mouth and nose. "Mostly for your lack of weakness towards others. You and me...we're like two peas in a pod..." I glared at her. How could she even think that we were similar? We had nothing in common, nor were we on the same side for God's sake.

"I think not." I blurted out in protest. She stared at me, her eyes squinted through the dark orbs as her hand twitched. She didn't scare me. Honestly, no one in the helicopter scared me. I just wasn't in the mood to fight, which made matters worse. "We are complete opposites. Our personalities are nothing alike." She laughed.

"I protest against that. You see, Sarah, we actually have a lot in common. Take our attitude towards people for example. What do they see? A bunch of bitches. You just can't accept that we have more in common than you think."

"When people look at you, they see your family name. They see your mother and father. They see your loyalty to the villainess side. When people see me...they don't see my family name. They see an orphan whose lived on the wrong side of the tracks. They see my mistakes that I've made. And mostly...they see my outer shell. The one I refuse to crack. You're an open book, Jade. Is that all you got?" She laughed hysterically.

"That may be true, but you explain to me why we both left the people we love." I could tell that she was smiling behind her mask, thinking that she had finally got me. But she didn't. I smiled and laughed lightly, staring at her.

"You left your family for the sake of your own future. You left you little sister home alone with your dad, who still seems like an overstimulated bastard to the looks of it." I said, glancing at Sportsmaster who now glared at me heavily from his grey mask. "You left them all, even your poor paralyzed mother who was about to be released. You left for your own good, which it seems that you've relapsed and fallen right back where you started. Now, me?" I smiled. "I left everyone for the sake of their own health."

"And how's that working out for you? I hear that Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes came back into town for a little visit..." I glared at her. "How is that...hot quarterback?"

"How would I know? It's not like we went out for coffee and caught up on our life."

"Well, you might as well have. I mean, since he is most likely going to stay a while...not to hang out with you, of course, that would be the last thing you two would write down on your list, but maybe say 'hello' to a certain...familiar face?" I swallowed, letting Cheshire's words affect me. I quickly replied as if on cue.

"Isn't that familiar face the one you've wanted in your best since high school?" I snarled back. I could see Cheshire glare as Sportsmaster's eyes scanned both of our faces. He wasn't much of a father, but when I came to men and boys his daughters' age, it was hell freezing over again...it's a long story.

Cheshire laughed suddenly, making the tension feel a bit more eased between us, and not to mention the helicopter. Surprisingly, even around villains like Sportsmaster and Cheshire and not to mention bulky men (and women) in tight black uniforms, it seemed that laughter really helped ease pain, mental and even physical, at least with them.

"Maybe so. But you seemed to have gotten the better piece of the puzzle, seeing that all that effort to get away from your one of few weaknesses failed in the making. And I mean literally." I glared at her.

"Just wait, Jade. The day your life crumbles to ruins is the day that we have a certain overdue conversation involving more than just fists. And the day when a plus sign means more than just a newly used pistol, a streak of luck, and a bunch playing cards all lined up in a row."

"And you say that as if you know more than me. Well, unfortunately for you, you don't. So take your little smart-ass pep talk and maybe take a nice long walk after a bloody massacre."

"And what makes you so sure that you know more than me?" I asked, raising my brow. She took off her mask, black hair gleaming in the moonlight and eyes strained.

"Maybe you should think about your words before you spit them out all over the floor. You of all people should realize how many consequences come with actions and words." I glared at her and leaned toward her.

"And you of all people should realize that I don't give a damn, nor am I that kind of girl; and neither are you."


	23. Hearts vs Bones

**Chapter 23: Hearts vs. Bones**

"Down the ladder, baby girl." Sportsmaster said in a commanding tone. I rolled my eyes at the nickname, the one he seemed to give only to younger and slightly smarter girls. I stopped short, staring at the fifty foot drop from the helicopter to the hard rocky floor below. I shivered at the thought of landing.

"You're kidding right?" I asked, looking back to see Sportsmaster's disapproving face. He was still, his eyes focusing on me. I sighed. "I may not be the girly girl type, but there's no way in hell that I'm breaking a heel, let alone these heels." I pointed down at my shoes. Cheshire face palmed behind him as he stared at my boots. She pushed him aside and walked around me.

"Pathetic." She said, suddenly jumping out and catching onto the end of the ladder with her fake claws. I rolled my eyes as I watched her land. Elegant was so not her style; it never was. Sportsmaster grunted behind me and I rolled my eyes, not even bothering to look at him as I climbed down, jumping from the last handle of the ladder and falling at least seven feet onto my heels. I cringed, my feet feeling awkward from the sudden hard impact they had made to the hard surface.

"Maybe you shouldn't wear heels." Cheshire said in a suspiciously high and squeaky voice. I glared at her.

"I wasn't the one who chose these shoes this time." I said, slightly smiling. Cheshire walked behind me, positioning my hands to be retied with a stronger, more appropriate holder. I took a deep breath.

"Ready to catch a bird? Or are you more the fish type? Oh, wait, I remember. You're more into _arrows_." Cheshire snarled. I glared at the forest of trees in front of us. _Now was my chance._

I threw my head back, hitting Jade's revealed jawline harshly. (That was, after all, what she got for taking her mask off in front of me.) I felt her hands let go and heard a thump, turning around quickly to see Jade in the dirt, quickly getting back up and charging toward me. I swallowed. _Why didn't I just run?_

She threw her fist, my eyes widening as her glove-covered knuckles impacted the side of my face, or technically the side of my nose. I felt a crack and yelped, tumbling backwards and catching myself mid-fall. I glared at her and ran, swinging my foot into her rib cage. She fell back, an angry look in her eye and my legs spread wide, running my torso in the direction of the trees. I couldn't stop myself. It was one of my few chances, and my legs took it.

I could hear angry shouts from the open pasture as I ran faster and faster, avoiding trees as if they were a simple obstacle course. My right foot hit something hard and my body went forward, my left foot not having enough time to catch up. The ground seemed to come at me, my body twisting sideways as I began to roll down the steep, branch and rock covered hill. I hit my head hard, groaning as I reached behind, rubbing the back of my hair.

I was slightly glad that my hit was damaging, or at least not as damaging as the rest of the times I had hit my head, but I also wished that I could just get away from it all. Escape the world for a few seconds. But thinking back to it, I was no where near ready to experience Hell the way people talked about it.

I stood up quickly, the world seeming to spin around my as I stumbled limply down the rest of the hill, falling quickly on my hands and knees once I saw the battlefield.

Away from the colorful costumes of the Justice League and the dark and skimpy figures of every villain I had ever come to know or hear of, it was quite peaceful. No blood, just random acts of violence, for instance my ex-best friend's boyfriend getting thrown into a tree by Superboy, but I wasn't so concerned about that.

I heard a branch break from behind me and I swallowed hard, my head swerving around to see Roy off in the distance. I slightly smiled, watching Cheshire interrogate him as she pinned him to a giant oak tree. Aside from the multiple swear words from the redhead and the hissing of Cheshire's voice, the two pretty much seemed like newlyweds. Well, from what I saw anyway.

I crouched behind the tree, taking a short glance at them and feeling a sudden presence behind me. I froze, carefully listening to the breathing patterns. I swallowed hard. This was not good.

A arm swung in front of my neck, cutting off a little bit of my airflow as my heart pounded faster. My right foot stepped back hard on impulse, and the heel of the shoe made something crack and let off a grunt and moan and semi-scream. I turned around fast, dodging the fist that had been aiming for my ribs. Honestly, I was mentally and physically prepared for the fight, but my hands couldn't stop shaking.

I stared at the grey eyes and blinked, forgetting what I was wearing. I glared suddenly, swinging my leg underneath and tripping my opponent. I swallowed hard, my feet and legs moving quickly as I ran toward the nearest clear area. I gasped for air as I stopped in a small clearing. My hands stuck to my knees like glue as I panted uncontrollably, my heart racing abnormally. I froze at the cracking sounds behind me.

"And I thought you'd just run away once again and leave me hanging." The voice said behind me. I sighed, standing up straight and feeling more at ease.

"And so did I." I turned around and stared at his green eyes. "So are you stalking or hunting me?" He laughed.

"I stopped stalking you on your sixteenth birthday. As for hunting...I stopped when you left to...wherever you went."

"I didn't leave, I was forced." He laughed.

"Tell that to Madeline." I swallowed hard.

"What do you want? I thought I made it clear that our meeting were for business only."

"Well, for starters I was only here to fight..." I raised my brow. "Incognito, of course. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if _he _recognized me. As for what I want...you obviously won't give it to me, so why not look elsewhere? Unless, you mind..." I frowned.

"Why would I mind? If anyone would care, I think that It would be your parents, or even your brother for that matter." He was awkwardly silent and I swallowed hard wondering what he was about to say. I turned away.

"Maybe I just thought that in that dark heart of yours, there was a little more light with my name on it. Or at least Madeline's. But I guess I was wrong. You may be able to fix those cracks in your heart with a bottle of super glue, but the ones in my heart...will never be able to put back together." I swallowed hard as I listened to him walk away. I closed my eyes, a single tear sliding down my face and landing on the fabric over my mouth.

I took a deep breath, clearing the once tension-filled air and turning around to make sure he was gone. He was. I took another deep breath, letting the muscles in my body loosen as I began to walk away from both the battle field and the landing site. I shivered as I replayed his words again and again. I couldn't let his words get to me. Not again; not ever.

I had to be strong, stronger than my naive, sixteen year old self. The one whose scars bled more than ever, and whose memory shall never be healed. I sighed. In the end I had only two options. Break hearts...or break bones.


	24. Ink

**Chapter 24: Ink**

"Oh, Sarah! Thank God you're alright! You had me so worried!" Dinah said, hugging me extensively to the point that I almost passed out. I gasped as she let go of me, which didn't seem to be noticed by her worried and tear struck eyes. Through the few weeks I had known and lived with Dinah, I had to admit that she had grown on me. The motherly, semi-traditional type that loved almost everyone she met. It was a lot different than my personal experiences with mothers.

"I just took a few days off, that's all." Dinah seemed to not hear me as she stared at me weakly, her hands grasping tightly onto my forearms. Her usual lightly-tanned complexion seemed pale in the natural light of a quiet Sunday morning. I noticed Oliver standing weakly to the side, the t.v. control lying on the floor near his feet. He had obviously dropped it.

The door burst open and Dinah let go of me in time for me to swing around quickly, about to take a fighting pose. My eyes widened to see the whole team - Diana, Batman, and Barry included - burst through the doors, surrounding me. I felt gagged in the larger than usual crowd with Miss Martian hugging me and everyone else talking. Dinah obviously noticed my eyes as she intervened.

"Okay! Okay! Let's give Sarah some space. She doesn't want to be...surrounded like that." Dinah said, watching my eyes go back to normal. I still felt gagged, not being able to respond or even speak. I swallowed hard and felt everyone's eyes on me. I wasn't usually so afraid of being in a crowd - I had after all been in Moscow for over two years, getting away with wearing a pound of makeup and a fake dirty-blonde wig - but this, this was not what I wanted at that moment and I couldn't take it.

I pushed everyone aside, making my way to the stairs and running up them, slamming the door behind me once I got to the guest room. I could feel everyone's eyes on the door as I held my back against it, my whole body shaking. I felt exposed, not only after my recent disappearance, but with the fact that Roy's eyes seemed to be on me at all times, and with my sudden collision with the broken-hearted man the day before, Roy's eyes seemed to be one of many bad things to come.

I shivered as I thought about everything that had happened in the last three days. Kidnapped, knocked out, blackmailed, and regretful wasn't exactly on my list of easy things, even for someone as trained and skilled as myself, but that wasn't going to stop my enemies.

I sighed as I crawled onto the cream colored sheets of the queen sized bed and laid down on my stomach, pulling up my left sleeve of my shirt so I could see my wrist. I rubbed my lips together as I stared at the black ink.

_För evigt och alltid..._

I stared at the Swedish words and swallowed hard. _Forever and always..._

* * *

_"If they mess this up then everyone's screwed!" _

_"Yeah, right. You said that last time."_

_"And I meant it until you practically tackled me!" He laughed._

_"It was for both of our goods." I smiled and laughed._

_"First, tell me if this is going to hurt." _

_"I thought you were tougher than that." He smiled as I glared at him. "Well, to answer your question, it's only a little pinch."_

_"ID please." The bulky man asked. I smiled softly, pulling out the card and handing it to him. He inspected the card carefully, handing it back to me with a straight face. "Well then, Happy Birthday."_

_"Thank You." I said, smiling. I sat down in the chair and got comfortable, putting my wrist out in front of me as the man took it. I felt a small pinch and my body twitched. "Holy shit, I was not expecting that." The man laughed._

_"First time?" I smiled._

_"Isn't it obvious." I said, nodding toward my bare arm. He laughed._

_"Well, in that case I recommend a picture next time. I'd say you're more of a dragon girl than a flower girl from the looks of it." I laughed._

_"You got that right." I said. He quickly finished, wiping my skin with the cloth and showing me._

_"Good?" I smiled, looking at the black ink that shown brightly on my pale skin in the florescent lights._

_"No. Perfect."_

* * *

I smiled softly at the memory and began to frown.

"I wish..."


	25. The Gang

**Chapter 25: The Gang**

It had been nearly two days since my last encounter with Cheshire - or more like death sentence - and things seemed to be getting back on track. M'gann seemed to be doing fine after I told her to ignore the fact that I was gone for three days and did not dare speak of it and Zatanna and Artemis' stares seemed to be changing into light smiles and waves.

Honestly, I was pretty proud of the boys in the team - aside from Roy - with Kaldur not daring to speak to me and Wally seeming to have finally shut up from his ongoing talk about something random - with help from Artemis of course; her hand really comes in handy at times. Robin was quiet as usual, with his respectable sense of how others felt and Superboy was more naive than ever, shrugging my return off like a bug, which I felt pretty happy about.

Now, the adults on the other hand...let's just say that Dinah had a few 'letting go' issues and that Oliver should either tape his mouth shut with a whole roll of duct tape or understand and realize the boundaries, metaphorically speaking. And don't even get me started on Barry's wife, Iris, who seemed way too involved to be human - or even a civilian.

Being a Tuesday, I felt more at home actually leaving the bedroom. With Dinah and Oliver gone - with the help of a few wedding magazines and a file of paperwork - and not to mention Roy in the midst of completing his last year of school, I had descended down the stairs and toward the front door to take a quick, peaceful walk.

I pulled the black jacket over my head and walked out the door, turning onto the sidewalk and following the semi-straight road. I had gotten nearly a block away from the highly expensive mansion when I was bothered.

"Where ya going...?" I heard a deep, slurred voice say behind me. I sighed and my shoulders shrugged. I turned around to see a few men in their early twenties staring at me, hunger in their eyes. I rolled my eyes in laughter.

"Somewhere." I said in a semi-dark voice. The didn't seem to notice through the tall glass bottles full of brownish liquid they held. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to head back to that somewhere." I turned around and froze as I felt a hand take my arm roughly. Out of all the days the guys could harass me, it had to be that day.

"You're not going anywhere." One of them said. I could feel his alcohol-covered breath on my neck and sighed, laughing afterwards. I turned around as they started walking towards me.

"We'll see about that." I said, kneeing one of them in the stomach and kicking him to the ground. I smiled at the others. "Which one of you bastards are next?" No one moved as the guy I kicked to the floor started to get back up. My anger built up as they smiled and I rolled my eyes, slightly feeling bad that they weren't going to remember any of that by the next morning - when they woke up with a huge hangover and a chest full of broken ribs. I kicked the guy once more, knocking him out cold as the alcohol spilled onto the street. I sighed.

"Well, since I wish not to waste all my energy on beating up a bunch of losers, why don't I let you chose whether we're going to do this the easy way...or the hard way." The guys all looked at eachother and then back to me with the same hungry look in their eyes. I shook my head.

"We'll take the way we know best." I rolled my eyes as one of the guys walked toward me.

"Which of course is going to be the easy way." I said quickly, the four men looking at me, clearly confused. I laughed and reached behind my back, pulling out the heavy metal object and aiming it towards the closest guy. He laughed and I cocked the gun back, smiling brightly.

"You're not going to shoot a couple of innocent guys, now would you dear?" He said as if I was a child. I laughed.

"Of course not..." I began to say. "Well not in the street! God, I'm not that horrible! I'd much rather kill you in a dark alley or a warehouse where I could torture you with fire and knives and whatever else I can find!" I wanted to laugh at their awe-struck and horrified faces, but I kept a straight face.

"So you're not going to kill us?" One of the guys asked. I smiled.

"Oh, I'm not going to kill you. Either this fire will, or your cell mates will when you end up going to jail for sexually harassing a young woman."

"We didn't even touch you!" One of them yelled. I smirked.

"That's not what the police will think, nor will the court."

"And there is no fire!" He said again. I laughed.

"Yes there is." I said as I shot at the spilled alcohol on the ground. It lit up like a firework and I smiled as they quickly pulled away the guy on the floor away from the burning flames. "And just to warn you...I'm always armed." I walked away from the on-going fire and practically ran to the house to change out my clothes. If that incident turned out to be on the news, there was no way in hell I could be described from the wasted men and wear those exact same clothes in front of who knows what.

I ran inside and up the stairs, jumping into the shower quickly to get rid of alcohol smell I had gained from the bottle that had splashed on me. I changed quickly, exchanging out my sweatpants and black jacket for a pair of dark colored skinny jeans and another one of Dinah's 'priceless' T-shirts she had bought for me. Honestly, I actually kind of liked the shirt, since after all, she had covered my personality almost seventy-five percent with the cartooned skull on the front of the plain white tee with a small pocket on the top right.

I sat down on the couch, turning on the t.v. to the news and pretending not to hear the door open and shut as I turned up the volume. Roy dropped his backpack on the floor by the couch and sat down, raising a brow as he watched me attempting to be interesting in the boring weather broadcast.

"What do you want?" I asked, still staring at semi-animated clouds on the screen.

"I see that time you took off didn't seem to make you less of a bitch." I glared at the screen, pretending that it was Roy.

"And I see that my time away didn't make you rethink your actions nor make you less of a spoiled rotten bastard." I said. Roy seemed quiet and I looked at him to see him glaring heavily at me.

"Is your name actually Sarah?" He suddenly asked. I was awestruck at his unrelated question. I raised my brow.

"Excuse me?" I said, semi-thinking that I heard it wrong.

"Is your name actually Sarah?" He repeated. I was frozen.

"Why in the hell would you ask me _that_?" I asked, my darker blonde eyebrow raising at the question. His emotions seemed to be blank.

"Cut the shit, Sarah. I know you're not here for the team or even for Dinah. I heard Oliver on the phone with Batman talking about you as if you were some pet. What the hell are you doing here and what the hell do you want from us?" He spit out harshly. I rolled my eyes.

"If I wanted anything from you or your little friends I would've already gotten it, and if you don't believe me then listen to this. I've been through hell this month with you guys. I've climbed mountains, taken you on a trip, listened to your conversations, had my ex almost kill me, been kidnapped by your crush and sexually harassed by a gang. I think I would've left this town by now or even this damn country!" I stormed off, slightly pissed that Roy couldn't just give up on his quest to find me somehow guilty.

Though I knew that I had nothing to take or give, I still felt guilty for lying to everyone the whole time. The team; Roy, it was all one big lie. But I couldn't tell them, nor did I want to. The last thing I wanted to happen was to have the Team on my bloody path and Roy unable to except me. And Roy's unacceptance wasn't what I wanted, or technically was _he _wanted._  
_


	26. Body Art

**Chapter 26: Body Art**

I stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to say or do as Dinah, or Black Canary spoke to us. I could feel Batman's presence behind me, but I was too confused and stiff to look behind me or even make a sound. Though everyone had started treating me like I wasn't glass and that I actually had a decent life - which actually wasn't true, my life sucked - it still seemed like everyone stared at me when I was paying attention to something and tiptoed around me when I wasn't. Honestly, I was truly becoming pissed off.

I was frozen in time as I stood there, still as a post, listening to Black Canary's requests for our next assignment. It wasn't the starring or the presence of other's anymore - it was the task. I swallowed hard, shivering my body out from the cold pose I had held and waited patiently for my own mini-task.

Black Canary walked over to me once everyone else was gone to get ready for the longer journey. She smiled at me softly and I was partly glad that she had no idea what she was getting me into.

"Just watch out for them. That's all I ask. That's basically all I need." She said and walked away. I frowned. Though I loved to not have so much on my plate, I felt a little...misunderstood as to why I was becoming less of an asset. I knew I wasn't the most faithful of them all, or at all to Roy, but she didn't have to be so cold-hearted as to my own tasks of now being basically part of the team.

I quickly followed everyone out and we quickly got to the small wooden building. Neon lights lit up from the inside and outside as we walked toward it and chills ran up my spine as I saw a dark figure on the side of the building near the exit, cigarette and lighter in hand. I rubbed my bare arms up and down and regretted wearing the plain, black, low-cut tank top.

We quickly entered the building, the smell of ink and clorox and sterilizers hit me hard, replaying my multiple memories.

"You eight stay here and watch and record everyone who comes in and out, got it?" Roy said, talking to the team. He turned to me. "You too." I raised my brow.

"You're kidding right?" I asked. He stared at me blankly.

"I'm doing this alone." He said deeply. I wanted to punch him badly.

"So you just want me to sit here? Doing nothing?" I said, knowing his answer. He stared at me blankly and I rolled my eyes. "Whatever." I said, walking towards the other teens. It was probably for the best anyway.

Roy got back nearly ten minutes later saying that the owner was going to meet us here in a couple minutes with information on the guy we were trying to find, which just so happened to be someone that I knew. The muscular man walked in and I stood up quickly, recognizing the hairy arms covered with dark greens and reds. He glanced at me and I recognized the look in his eye that told me he did not remember who I was.

I sighed as Roy tried to explain who we were looking for.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not obliged to talk to you, nor are you allowed in here. I don't know who you are, but I know that you're underaged, so please..." He motioned us to the door and I sighed as the team began to leave.

"Wait." I said, stopping everyone from exiting. The teens stared at me as well as Roy and the owner. "What if you knew one of us?" I asked. He looked confused, as did everyone else.

"I'm sorry, but I don't know you." He said. I rolled my eyes.

"You remember your artwork though, correct?" He nodded and I sighed.

"Okay then. Well this is something I never thought I'd do." I said as I turned around and lifted up the back of my tank top, revealing the twisty colored serpent on my lower back. I heard him laugh and I could feel Roy's eyes targeted on the tattoo. I pulled my shirt down.

"How could I forget that one! That was my best piece yet!" He said. He raised his eyebrow. "You don't look much older than eighteen, though. How old were you?" He asked suspiciously. I smiled.

"Two years younger than my current age. But don't worry. No one had custody over me then, nor do they now. So it's technically not even illegal. Or I don't think it would be." He laughed.

"Well, that's something I've never heard before." He smiled. I felt Roy still staring at me.

"Wait!" He suddenly said. I looked over at the redhead and raised my brow. "So your telling me that the writing on your wrist is an actual tattoo!?" I rolled my eyes and looked at Ben who looked confused.

"He's, uh, _muy ingenuo_." I said. Ben nodded and laughed.

"_sí_." He replied. I smiled and sighed, looking at Roy's obvious confusion. And then I knew that I was going to have a lot of explaining to do when I got back to Dinah's, especially with Roy on my tail with mental pictures of my permanent, colorful, body art.


	27. Friend or Foe

**Chapter 27: Friend or Foe**

I frowned as I sat down in front of Dinah. Roy and I had finally gotten home around nine in the evening after sifting out information from Ben about the governor's whereabouts. Why a tattoo parlor, you ask? Let's just say that background info on him seemed to revolve around...sketchy places.

I looked at Dinah, clearly confused, and noticed a sad look in her eyes. She sighed and slid a manilla folder across the table, towards me, and I looked inside and practically gasped.

"What the hell is this?" I asked in a low tone. Dinah took a deep breath before speaking.

"These are your enemies." She said, pointing to the pictures and papers in the folder. "The ones that are coming after you." I cringed as I looked through the papers. Sportsmaster...Cheshire...The Phantom...Benjamin Dolores...Aaron Mathews..._Patrick_. I swallowed hard._  
_

"They've found me too." I said suddenly. Dinah gave me a look.

"Care to explain?" She whispered harshly, looking up the stairs to make sure that Roy wasn't listening. I sighed.

"The days that I was...gone, I wasn't taking time off. I had been kidnapped by Sportsmaster and Cheshire, and not to mention knocked out by a few other accomplices, but that's not the point. As for the rest on this list, it's a long story."

"Well, we have all night." Dinah said. I sighed. "Why don't you start from the beginning?"

"Beginning, beginning? Or like the beginning of the stalking?"

"I think we can just start with the stalking."

"Okay, well in that case, let me go down the list. The Phantom..." I read and laughed. "You know about that one, but that party you sent us to...he was there. I was just glad he didn't recognize me."

"That makes two of us...Go on."

"Uh...Benjamin Dolores. The last I saw of him was the day I met Roy. In the mall. A very awkward conversation, but anyway...Aaron Mathews. Camping trip. Tried to kill me, but his weakness proved that he didn't have the strength or guts to do it."

"Okay, now that's something that you should've told me."

"Don't get too emotional. I'm not done yet." Dinah raised her brow and I went on. "Patrick."

"Last name?"

"Tell me that you have read these, please..."

"Some of them, but not all. Batman gave me the list." I sighed.

"Then good." I said. Dinah raised her brow again. "There's no reason that you need to know his last name. And for the record...he's the only one that I've been able to trust during this last month. He saved the team from mass destruction while you're fiance's insane protege nearly killed himself during our little intervention with the Joker, and then he saved me from having to fight against you all while I was...missing."

"So you're telling me that this man is a friend and not a foe?" I laughed.

"He's neither friend, nor foe to you. Or the Justice League and Team. But to me...he's sometimes more than that." Dinah smiled.

"Lover?" She asked. I sighed.

"Ex. Two years away from him and he suddenly answers his phone to a familiar voice on the other end."

"Are you two getting back together or what, then? Cause it seems like you two had a very...intimate relationship." I laughed.

"Two years ago, we might have, but in this day and age...he'd be lucky if I didn't end up killing him in the end."

"Kill him? Sarah, what's your game here? I see nothing but destruction in your future! You can't just kill an innocent man."

"Innocent? Dinah, do you realize who you're talking to? Patrick is not innocent, I can assure you that."

"He has to have some good in him..."

"Well, I guess he's more innocent than I am, I'll give you that. But in the end, Patrick is going to have to choose between the right or wrong and family or no family. And when the wrong means exposing me to the whole world just to save what little family he has left...believe me, he'll choose it in a heartbeat. And no matter how much I try to encourage and persuade him to give up on that, it'll just end up coming down to him and I, our weaknesses and strengths, and whatever weapons we possess. So I encourage you, Dinah, to stay out of it, or you'll just end up like the rest of my enemies. Fighting for life."

I stood up and walked away, going to my room and shutting the door behind me. I sighed. It was going to be one hell of a week.


	28. Commitment

**Chapter 28: Commitment **

"Oh my God! I cannot believe that we have to stay in the stupid mountain for the rest of the week!" Artemis yelled as she watched M'gann mix the ingredients together. I laughed.

"Get used to it, because if you keep up with this 'hero' stuff, I can assure you that some late nights don't involve sleeping in your own bed." I said.

"In what way are you implying that, exactly?" Roy asked as he walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge. I rose my brow.

"In PG way, mind you." I said. "Maybe you should start thinking that way, too." Roy laughed.

"And why would that be exactly? For all I remember, you're the one bringing up all those things in our camping trip."

"Oh, dear, did I not tell you? It must've slipped my mind. You see, when I meet new people, like you for example, I always have this impulse to test them on how their brain works. And instead of knocking them out and hooking them to an expensive machine, I've learned that it's quite easier to keep them conscious while you talk to them in reverse-psychology." Roy rolled his eyes.

"I don't think anyone in this room understood anything you just said."

"I did." Robin said as he turned around from his video game with Wally. I smiled.

"Thank you. And I will be taking my twenty-thousand dollar check now." Roy glared at me.

"In your dreams, _Doctor_." Roy said. I rolled my eyes.

"Anyway..." I turned back to M'gann. "What are you making, exactly?" I asked, staring at the awkwardly colored blob of tan in M'gann's clear bowl. She smiled.

"Cookies. Haven't you made them before?" I sighed.

"No. I don't really have time to make anything other than usually dinner."

"I'll teach you!" M'gann said.

"I think I'm good. I have no motive to make sweets. But thanks for the offer."

"Oh my gosh! I just had a brilliant idea!" Raquel suddenly said. I rose my brow.

"And what would that be?" Artemis asked. Raquel smiled brightly.

"Since we're going to be stuck here...all night long, we could play games, you know, like the ones we did while camping." I choked on the water I had been drinking.

"I don't like that idea." I said. Roy leaned on the counter and looked at me.

"Afraid?" He asked, smiling. I glared at him.

"No, it's just that I'm a very private person, if you haven't already noticed." Roy raised his brow and shrugged as he walked back toward the living room type area.

"Don't worry, Sarah. We won't ask that many personal questions." Zatanna reassured me. I smiled and sighed.

"I should probably go set up my room for the night." I said, trying to get out of the awkward situation. I could feel Zatanna's eyes on me suspiciously.

"Well, I'll come and get you when dinner's ready." M'gann said, offering me a smile. I smiled back and walked toward my room. The door closed behind me as I sat down on the bed. I sighed.

I was very happy for Zatanna's kind words and her understanding of part of what I felt, but I was slightly pissed off for the fact that I was being dragged back into this. Honestly, if it were my choice, I'd be out of the cave faster than Wally, but Dinah's agreement dragged my back down. But the worst part wasn't the dragging down, it was the commitment. I was being dragged down by the commitment. The commitment that made me befriend the team. The team that was supposed to be my enemies.


	29. Alternatives

**Chapter 29: Alternatives**

It had been at least a half of an hour since I had left the group of teens and had gone to my room. There wasn't much to unpack - a couple pairs of clothing and some necessities were the only things I had in my small backpack; and not to mention the folder of people I knew and many who I hated. I pulled out the folder quickly once I unpacked, throwing everything aside and setting up my laptop on the desk in the corner of the room and began my work.

It took me thirty minutes to pin most things together; by pinning I meat taping profiles and pictures to the walls (some were also placed on the floor) and then writing down their weaknesses and strengths, which were based on my prior knowledge and my ability to sift out important information on people through reports and stories. It was pretty easy for most of them, even the ones I had found harder to find seemed pretty easy in the end; except for one: Patrick.

"Hey, Sarah! Are you going to eat or become anorexic?" I heard Roy yell through the door. I sighed and rolled my eyes as I got up, closing my laptop screen and walking to the door, watching it open in front of me. Roy stood there with a smirk on his face, which I seemed to hate more than my parents' homemade sushi. I folded my arms and stared at him.

"If becoming anorexic means that I don't have to eat with you present, then no, I'm not going to eat." I said stubbornly. Roy rolled his eyes and pointed down the hall. I knew that I was being pretty harsh about the whole anorexic thing and that Dinah would surely kick my ass for saying such a thing, but Roy's face was like a target. You're bound to shoot at it a few times at least.

"M'gann will very disappointed if not pissed if you don't go eat. So you either go sit down like the rest of us and at least pretend to eat or have an angry martian on your tail all night. You choose your fate." I rolled my eyes.

"Is their an option C? You know, the one where I just flip you off and shut the door?" I asked. Roy glared at me and I held my hands up in surrender, mocking him. "Or maybe I could just surrender for your convenience like our oponents do," I said as I walked out of my room and towards the kitchen. I sat down at the table next to Zatanna as everyone began to dig into the mini buffet spread out on the table.

"So..." M'gann said, attempting to break the lingering silence. "Anyone in a relationship?" I mentally groaned, imagining what the conversation would end up like. M'gann looked at me, evidently hearing my groan and I sighed as she smiled. "You first, Sarah."

"Am I in a relationship?" I repeated. "Nope." I said simply. Zatanna turned her head to look at me.

"Why not?" She asked, curiosity glazing her blue eyes. I sighed.

"Because...I'm too busy to deal with another person on the side of everything that I do for a living." I said simply.

"And what do you do for a living?" Roy asked suspiciously.

"Why do you want to know exactly?" I asked, not wanting to tell Roy what he wanted to hear, or even what he didn't want to hear.

"Curiosity. So tell me." I swallowed and stared at Roy.

"You know what, Roy." I said, done with him being nosy all the time. "I don't know what people see in you. In my eyes all I see is a spoiled, nosy brat, who was turned into the prince of Star City after practically becoming Oliver Queen's long lost son. Even in your costume you seem the same, but with a little more attitude and leisure."

"Really?" Roy interrupted. "You know what I see in you? Well I see an unsolved mystery. One with a bunch of axe murders and serial killers. I see vengence and blood. Oh and let's not forget, a daddy's girl." I saw Artemis squirm in her seat out of the corner of my eye.

"You know, I'm not going to say whether your right or wrong, but I am going to say is that maybe you should think before you act. Because even if your statement seems harmless to the person you talking to and about, it might affect someone else and their private memories. And memories aren't exactly the best thing to have when you're in compromising positions, but I wouldn't expect you to understand." I said, standing up and walking off. I saw Artemis get up and follow me, which I didn't understand. I stopped at my door. "Can I help you?" I turned around.

"I just wanted to say thank you for that last statement, even if others think that it was uncalled for." Artemis smiled and began to walk away.

"You're lucky, Artemis." She stopped and looked at me confused. "You have something that a lot of people can never have. A group of friends who see you as you, and not someone who's made mistakes. And a second chance. Don't let them go, someday you might need both of them again."

I walked into my room and sighed as the door closed. I hated that I couldn't keep my mouth shut, but she needed to realize how lucky she was. How much she had. And of course, how much she had to loose. I had nothing. Barely anything to loose. Everything had already been taken away from me. And they'd never come back.

I sat down at the desk and opened up the manilla folders again, searching the pictures and files. I suddenly stopped and stared at the picture, realizing something else. Roy had a lot of things. Money, family, luxury. Though he had his alternative family, he didn't have his real ones. The ones that were genetic. Or even siblings. I sighed as I stared at the picture.

Roy needed to get off my back. Way off my back. He needed to stop his nagging and nosiness and get on with life. Have something to destract him. But I couldn't just invite his biological parents over for the month, not even if I knew them. I had to think of an alternative. But that alternative was something that made me question my reactions and emotions. I swallowed hard. I had to decide. Yes or no?


End file.
